Saving Angel
by Phantom Rosabelle
Summary: Will Ashley's deepest, darkest secret tear her and Andros apart, or will it help them truly find each other? Andros/Ashley. Warning: rape.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** Power Rangers... not mine.

**Author's Note:** I'm warning you now, this story will have its darker moments and lots of them. (The dark moments have nothing to do with the rating. I'm not that sick and twisted.) If you don't like heavy angst and lots of drama that turns fluffy towards the end, then you'll probably want to pass on this fic. Other than that, enjoy!

**Author's Note 2:** This story is dedicated to Marieke for the plot, the song, the help with the random little details, and probably about a million other things; to Jenny for being a wonderfully awesome reviewer (I swear, it's worth writing this stuff just to hear you babble on about, well, absolutely nothing); and to Melissa for being an awesome friend.

Chapter 1

Andros stretched his arms and leaned back against the rough bark of the ancient oak tree, relaxing under the shade provided by its old and gnarled branches, only a few dots of light breaking through the canopy of leaves, the sunlight dimmed by the overcast day. His hazel eyes took no notice of the natural beauty, however, and fixed themselves upon a different vision, one far more entrancing.

Ashley glanced up from her food, chewing carefully around the edge of a chicken wing before dropping it down onto her plate. The wind picked up just the slightest bit, whipping through her caramel-toned hair. She looked stunning even in the yellow zip-up sweatshirt she was wearing as protection against the breeze, and her long legs were bare. Her bright eyes sparkled as she looked up at him, and for a moment, Andros thought he might just melt away.

"What?"

Ashley blushed slightly under Andros's intense stare, and he snapped out of his daze, though he didn't avert his eyes completely.

"Nothing," he replied a moment later, his eyes darting back to her no matter where he looked. "I was just thinking about how beautiful you are."

Ashley flashed him her radiant smile at his words, and Andros relaxed again, not even noticing that he'd tensed in the first place. He was always like this around Ashley; always slightly on the edge whenever he paid her a compliment, afraid of how she might react.

He sighed inwardly and wished that he could just relax around her, and be as completely at ease as she was. Ever since he'd decided to return to Earth with his teammates instead of remaining on KO-35, he and Ashley had grown closer than ever. He had let her into his heart, there was no question of that, and she had never judged him or thrown his past back at him into his face as so many people in his life had done before, but his mind refused to belive that it would stay that way forever.

"Are you all right?" Ashley's voice was suddenly much closer than it had been only a moment before, and Andros had to only turn his head a fraction of an inch to the left to find her staring at him with just a hint of worry in her warm eyes. "You looked pretty far away for a minute."

"I was just... thinking, I guess," Andros said, trying to focus back on reality. Back on Ashley, who was still staring at him curiously. "It's nothing."

Ashley shrugged her shoulders at him, and sat down again, but not moving back to where she had been the minute before. Andros found himself staring at her again, wishing for the thousandth time that he could just tell her that he loved her.

"Andros, you're staring at me again," Ashley said, amused, as Andros gazed at her.

"Sorry," Andros muttered, finally tearing his eyes away from her, staring down at his hands.

"It's all right," Ashley said, scooting closer to him. "I don't mind."

Andros carefully raised his head again, his eyes meeting hers. There were only inches between their faces now, and slowly, Andros shortenend that distance, until his lips brushed against hers. Ashley reacted immediately, deepening the kiss, shifting into a more comfortable position, her arms sliding around his neck. Andros had one arm wrapped securely around her waist as his other hand unzipped her sweatshirt.

Underneath, she was only wearing a yellow spaghetti strap, and Andros let his arm snake around her, his hand pressing itself against her back, holding her closer to him. Andros groaned softly as Ashley slid her tongue inside his mouth, feeling his insides grow weak, and the desire to have her grow stronger. He rotated his body and slowly pushed Ashley over backwards, setting her down carefully on the blanket. Ashley's grip on his neck grew stronger as he lay down on his stomach as close to her as he could without actually being on top of her.

Ashley was starting to wish that they had picked a more private place for their picnic than Angel Grove Park. At this moment, Andros was her entire universe; the only thought in her mind. She thought she could spend forever with him just as they were now, but even as she relaxed against him, other thoughts began to surface on the edges of her mind, slowly working their way forward to the surface of her consciousness.

_No_, Ashley thought, trying to banish the unpleasant memories and surround herself with Andros once again, but the nightmarish images only grew ever stronger instead of fading, and Ashley felt herself drowning in a sudden wave of panic. She placed both her hands on Andros's shoulders, intending to push him away only to find that he had already pulled back, and was staring at her with his eyes filled with worry.

"Did I do something wrong?" he asked her as he rolled away, giving her room to sit up. Ashley shook her head slowly, taking her sweet time to zip up her sweatshirt again as she shivered, suddenly very cold on a mildly cool day.

"It's nothing that you did," Ashley murmured softly, looking anywhere but at him. "I'm sorry. Andros, I - "

"Hey," he interrupted gently, laying his hand on her arm. "It's all right, Ash. Don't worry about it."

"You're not angry?" Ashley stared at him, scrutinizing his face for even the smallest hint of anger or annoyance towards her, but she saw none.

"I don't think I could be angry with you if I tried," Andros confessed quietly. At this moment he certainly couldn't imagine it, especially when he felt that he had somehow taken advantage of her.

"You don't know that," Ashley muttered, feeling her face burning red as she tried frantically to blink back tears. "I'm not perfect, Andros."

"Neither am I, Ash," Andros said, his fingers grasping her chin gently and lifting her face up to his. "And I don't want you to be."

Ashley offered him a small smile in return for his words, and he smiled back, tentatively. Something wasn't quite right here, but he couldn't pinpoint what the problem was, and Ashley was certainly in no hurry to tell him.

Andros wrapped his arms around her then, giving her plently of room to pull back if she chose to do so, but Ashley practically fell into his embrace, and as Andros tightened his hold on her, Ashley could feel herself finally starting to warm up again.

For a few minutes, they sat there in silence, completely content in each others arms. Ashley closed her eyes as she rested her head against Andros's shoulder, smiling as his hair tickled her cheeks whenever the wind picked up. She could feel herself growing drowsy, and doubted that Andros would have any objections to her falling asleep right there in his arms. The thought was enough to make her come wide awake at once, and Andros released her the moment he felt her tense.

"Are you all right, Ash?" Andros asked, one of her hands in his. He ran his thumb over her fingers, lightly caressing her knuckles before dropping her hand. Ashley was spared from having to think up a reply when her cell phone rang.

Sighing, she pulled it out of the pocket of her sweatshirt, and glanced quickly at the number. It was from home. Ashley grimaced inwardly as she answered it. Calls from home were never good, especially if it was one of her parents in place of her brother.

"Hello?" she said, praying it would be Jeff and not her mother or Terry. She sighed with relief as she heard her brother, even if his voice was edged with irritation.

"Ash, where are you?" he asked. "I've got a class in an hour, and I need to stop somewhere first."

"I'm so sorry," Ashley blurted out. "I didn't know it was so late. I'll be right there."

"Normally I don't mind, Ash," Jeff said, a little more warmly. "You know that, and I'll always be here for you, as long as you don't flake out on me, all right?"

"I know," Ashley said, turning away from Andros so he wouldn't see the tears shining in her eyes. "I'm sorry. I'll be there in ten minutes, all right?"

"See you then," Jeff said, and Ashley hung up, swallowing the lump in her throat before turning back to Andros.

"I was supposed to be home about half an hour ago," she said apologetically. "I've got to go."

"I'll walk you home, if you want," Andros offered, and Ashley quickly shook her head.

"That's all right," she said, smiling to show that she was grateful for the offer. "But if my mom or my stepfather see that I was with you when I should have been at home, they won't exactly approve."

"Sorry if I got you into trouble," Andros said, standing up as well.

"You didn't," Ashley assured him, his sweetness making her guilt triple. "I'll see you sometime tonight, I guess."

Andros brushed his lips over hers in a gentle kiss goodbye. "I'll see you later, Ash," he said, looking a little disappointed, and Ashley couldn't blame him. He'd been looking forward to spending the entire afternoon with her. "Bye."

"Bye," Ashley said, walking at what she thought was a normal pace out of the park. However, once she was out of his sight, she began running as fast as she could, slowing only as she arrived in sight of her house. Jeff's car was gone, and her heart nearly stopped when she saw her stepfather's car in the driveway. Jeff must have left once Terry had shown up, she figured.

Now that there was someone else in the house, there was no real reason for her to be there, and Ashley debated whether or not to teleport herself to the Megaship, and spent the rest of the day with Andros. It took her several minutes, but in the end, she decided against it. She had a major responsibility here at home, and it wasn't fair to lay the burden on everyone else.

Sighing heavily, Ashley fitted her key into the lock and entered her house as quietly as she could, but she might as well have come crashing in. Terry was standing directly in front of the door, his arms crossed, glaring at her. Ashely met his gaze defiantly, although her heart was pounding uncontrollably in her chest.

"Upstairs," he snapped. "Now."

Ashley fled.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** Last time I checked, Power Rangers was owned by Disney, and as far as I know, I'm not Disney... sigh.

_**Ashley Hammond/Astro Yellow:** Who else would I dedicate it to? You three are my own saving angels. :P _

_**Jean:** Well, here's more, and I hope you like it. _

Chapter 2

It was almost eleven by the time Ashley teleported herself back onto the Megaship. The halls were empty, as she had expected them to be. Andros had made it clear that they all had an equal share of the Megaship, and were more than welcome to stay if they wished, but TJ and Carlos had taken to sleeping in their own homes again. Cassie, on the other hand, had moved in almost completely, needing a place to get away from her mother, and their tumultuous relationship, until she could afford to get an apartment of her own.

There had only been one thing that had kept Ashley from moving in as well, although she still snuck out of her house when her mother and Terry had fallen asleep. Here on the Megaship, with Andros, she was safe.

Ashley jumped as Andros's door opened. He stepped out of his room, oblivious to the fact that she was three feet behind him until she touched his shoulder gently.

"Hey," she greeted him quietly. He offered her a smile in return, and kissed her.

"Hi," he whispered.

"What's wrong?"

"Nightmare," Andros mumbled, concentrating hard on the ground, wishing that the floor was more intricately designed into something with which he could distract himself more convincingly.

"Your parents again?" Ashley asked, gathering an answer from the way his entire body stiffened. She pulled him into her arms, holding him close as he began to relax.

"I don't know why it even bothers me anymore," he muttered, speaking directly into her ear. "It was years ago, and they're not here. I should be used to it, but I... It was the way they looked at me. I would have given anything to hear just once that they loved me, or that they were proud of me, but if they had just looked at me with something besides hate in their eyes, I would have been okay."

"Some things don't go away," Ashley said, not thinking just of Andros anymore. "No matter how much time passes."

She had never been beaten the way Andros had, but the feeling that accompanied the knowledge that you were worthless to everyone who you could ever possibly hope to meet was something that Ashley identified with all to well.

"Are you going to be all right?" she asked.

He nodded. "I was just going to get something to drink. Come with me?"

"Sure," Ashley agreed, suppressing a yawn. She might be dead tired after running around all afternoon, but she had never managed to find it in her heart to refuse Andros anything that he'd asked of her, especially when he looked at her the way he was right now, gazing at her imploringly with his eyes only seeing her. There was nothing that he could ask her for that she wouldn't give, and that scared her.

Andros reached for her hand as they walked in silence to the holding bay, where the main Synthetron was located. Ashley smiled as she felt Andros tighten his grip on her hand for the briefest second before they entered the room.

"Sit down," Andros said gently, Ashley's exhaustion not escaping his notice, and he suddenly felt guilty for asking her to stay with him. "I'll get you something."

"Thanks," Ashley said gratefully, sinking down onto a stool. They lapsed into silence again as the Synthetron whirred, concoting two drinks seemingly out of nowhere. Ashley considered asking him what he'd done since she'd last seen him, but decided against it. It would be an invitation for him to ask her how she'd spent her own afternoon, and that subject was definately not one she wanted to discuss, not now, and not ever.

"Here you go," Andros said, setting a mug down in front of her. He smirked as she lifted it to her nose, sniffing it cautiously before glancing up at him. "This isn't anything strange, I promise."

Ashley hid a smile as she took a sip. Andros and Zhane had gotten in the habit of slipping her drinks from a variety of different worlds, some delicious, and others nauseating.

Zhane had been amusing himself by talking her into trying the various specialties of Onyx Tavern, until Andros had happened to walk in on Ashley gagging on a particularly vile drink. Ashley hadn't minded too much; Zhane had been immediately apologetic, and she'd laughed once she'd washed down the taste with several glasses of water, but she'd suspected that Andros had had a 'talk' with Zhane.

"It's hot chocolate," Ashley said, surprised, taking another sip. Andros was watching her, clearly amused.

"I told you it wasn't anything strange," he said, draining his glass of water. He watched her for another minute before asking, "What did you do today?"

Ashley choked on her hot chocolate, nearly dropping the mug as she tried to get her breathing under control. Andros watched her for a moment before reaching across the table and gently prying the mug out of her hands, handing her a napkin. Ashley wiped her face off, and tried to mop up all the droplets that had splashed onto the table, feeling her face burning as she did so.

"Sometimes it helps to swallow before you try talking," Andros said, his expression and tone perfectly serious. Ashley stuck her tongue out at him and he smiled innocently. "You didn't burn yourself, did you?"

Ashley shook her head no. "Just my tongue, I think," she said, carefully pressing her tongue against her teeth, feeling for the burned patch. It was large, and she knew that nothing would taste right for a few days.

Andros watched Ashley stifle another yawn, her eyelids slowly closing. "Let's go," he said, standing up. "Unless you want to finish your drink."

Ashley gave him a rueful smile. "I don't think there's enough left of it to finish."

Andros slipped his arm around her waist as they exited the holding bay. The Megaship now seemed almost eerily silent and empty, the wide halls motionless, and the only noise besides that made by their feet against the floor the soft humming that drifted through the ship, originating in the engine room.

Andros's room was the door before Ashley's, and he stopped, releasing her with more than a little reluctance. "Would you like to come in?" he asked without meaning to, but hoping that she would say yes. Ashley hesitated, and he added, "Just for a minute or two, but if you're too tired-"

"I'm not **that** tired," Ashley said, following Andros into his room. The lights were as dim as they always were, and she stopped, trying to orient herself in a space less familiar then her own. There were few differences, but she didn't want to trip.

"Oh, sorry," she heard Andros say from somewhere off to her left, and a moment later the light swelled, leaving the room much brighter. "Better?"

"Yeah, lots," Ashley said, blinking slightly against the sudden change. Andros settled himself on his bed, and motioned for her to join him, which she did, but not without reservations. Andros definitely wasn't the type to push her for anything, but she couldn't help but feel that she was walking right into something that she should be running from.

"What are you doing tomorrow?" Andros asked as she settled herself cross-legged across from him. "I was wondering if you'd want to..."

Ashley was already shaking her head, and he let his voice trail off.

"I can't," she said apologetically. "I'm busy."

"Oh," Andros said awkwardly. "Okay."

Ashley found herself suddenly wanting to cry. "Andros..."

"It's all right, Ash," Andros assured her, completely missing her expression. "We can go some other time."

"I really am sorry," Ashley murmured, startled when Andros laughed softly. She glanced up at him, and saw that the expression on his face was much more mischievous than she'd ever seen on his face before.

"If you feel that bad about it, you can make it up to me," he said, somehow managing to sound both teasing and shy.

Ashley laughed, and shifted, her mind alternating between urging her to move closer to him and screaming at her that this was a bad idea. All her doubts vanished, however, or at least faded temporarily when Andros brushed his lips over hers, leaving her to either deepen the kiss or pull back. Without hesitation, Ashley leaned into him, her arms going around his neck. For the second time that day, the world around her slipped away as Ashley let herself tumble carelessly from reality...

The darkness surfaced much more quickly this time, and Ashley jerked back, pushing Andros away at the same time, shoving him over onto his pillows. She closed her eyes, a movement that only served to further her nightmares, and her eyes snapped back open just as the line between reality and nightmare began to blur, and for several seconds, Ashley was seeing two faces, overlapping each other; one Andros's, and the other the one she had tried so hard to forget.

"Ash, what's the matter?" Andros asked, reaching out to her. She shrank back from his touch, and he dropped his hand. "Did I do something wrong?"

"Of course not," Ashley said, looking up at him. Her voice was low and choked with tears, and Andros stared at her helplessly.

"Ash, ever since we got back to Earth, you've been acting a little strange," he said. He had a feeling that he was making things worse instead of better, but he couldn't pretend that there was nothing wrong any longer.

"I was hoping you wouldn't notice," Ashley muttered, and Andros sighed heavily.

"Ash," he said softly, "I know something's been bothering you. If you don't want to tell me -"

"Then there's nothing you can do about it," Ashley snapped defensively. Andros stared at her, a look of helplessness on his stunned face, and Ashley doubted he'd be more hurt if she'd slapped him instead.

"Ash," Andros whispered. "I..."

His voice trailed off, and he wondered if Ashley was trying to break up with him. She'd become so distant in the two weeks that they'd been back on Earth, always having an excuse ready when he asked her to go somewhere with him, always avoiding him whenever he tried to talk to her... But when she **was** with him, everything just felt so right that he couldn't make himself believe that Ashley didn't want to be with him anymore.

"I'm sorry," Ashley muttered, not looking at him, hoping he wouldn't notice the tears that had gathered in her eyes, but he did, as she'd known he would. He stared at her for a long minute, and Ashley knew that he was trying to decide whether or not she'd attack him if he hugged her.

"Ash," Andros said softly, touching her shoulder. "What did I do?"

"Nothing," Ashley said impatiently. "I already told you."

"Then why did you yell at me?"

Ashley groaned inwardly, dragging her sleeve across her eyes as she tried to think of a response that was almost the truth. She hated lying to him, and she hated herself for lying to him, but there was no way she could tell him the truth. As sweet and caring as he was to her, Ashley had her doubts that he would stay with her if he knew, and she'd lose the rest of her friends as well, for having kept it a secret from them for so long.

"I guess I'm just tired," Ashley said finally. "I didn't mean to shout at you, Andros."

Her answer didn't sound any more convincing to him than it did to her, and Andros's face showed it.

"I'll go out with you tomorrow, if you really want me to," she offered apologetically. Andros shook his head.

"You said you couldn't go," he reminded her. "If you have something else to do, then you should do it."

"I'm sorry," Ashley muttered. "We'll go some other time, okay?"

"Sure," Andros said quietly, staring at the ground. "Whenever you want, Ash."

"I promised my family I'd spend some time with them tomorrow," Ashley said desperately, seeing his face. She couldn't remember ever seeing him look so hurt. "My mom wants some help, and I haven't seen her in forever."

"It's all right," Andros said distantly. "You should spend time with your family."

"Andros, don't do this to me," Ashley cried. "It's nothing to do with you."

"Can I meet your family sometime?" Andros asked her suddenly. Ashley flinched, and he wondered if he hadn't seen fear in her eyes for a split second. "What?"

"They... Don't take this the wrong way," Ashley pleaded. "But when they found out where you're from, they decided that we shouldn't be together."

"Oh," Andros said, looking away. Ashley was hating herself now more than ever, for lying to him, and for choosing lies that hurt him. "Never mind, then."

"It's not just you," Ashley said quickly. "They don't like TJ, Cassie, or Carlos, either."

"Why?" Andros asked her with a hint of curiosity, but asking mostly just so he wouldn't appear sullen.

"Because TJ's black, Carlos is Mexican, and Cassie's Asian," Ashley said. That part was true, at least. Terry was decidedly racist, and her mom had begun to adopt his beliefs. He would definitely hate Andros, if Ashley ever let his name slip. She was careful not to.

"Good night, Ash," Andros said, and Ashley took the less than subtle hint.

"Night, Andros," she said softly, leaving his room as quickly as she could without actually running.

"I love you," Andros whispered aloud, staring sadly at his closed door. "Ash, I love you."

He sighed heavily, and leaned back against his pillow, shoving his dual-toned hair roughly out of his eyes. She was lying to him, and he knew it. Everything that Ashley had just said to him was at best half-true. He could tell by the way she glanced away, staring at something just over his shoulder instead of at him.

_Maybe I should just go back to KO-35, _he thought glumly._ Ashley doesn't want me here._

And he didn't want to go back to KO-35. He wanted to stay here, with Ashley, for as long as she wanted him, but he was scared that she didn't anymore. It was obvious why he needed Ashley, but he'd often wondered why Ashley would need him, someone so radically different than her in all possible ways.

_"Good night, Andros." _

He heard Ashley's voice sound in his mind, and a small smile formed on his face despite himself. He'd been attempting to teach Ashley telepathy and telekinesis, and while she'd made much more progress with the telepathy, it was still too difficult for her to use comfortably.

Andros knew why Ashley was using it now; she was trying to apologize without actually having to admit that there was something wrong. Andros sighed heavily, wondering if she'd ever just** tell** him what was wrong.

He wasn't a complete idiot, and he'd picked up on how she had, so far somewhat successfully, avoided discussing her family. He wondered if that was it, if there was something terribly wrong in her family.

But if she was unhappy there, why didn't she just tell him, or move back onto the Megaship? He'd told her everything about his family, all the terrible details that he would have much rather forgotten, because he felt worse keeping it from her.

He sighed again, and lay down, wondering if he was ever going to get to sleep, and realized that he'd never answered Ashley. He considered ignoring it completely, but he didn't have it in him.

_"Good night, Ash."_


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** Power Rangers... Disney's. Carlos's sisters... mine, I guess.

_**Mz. Daydream:** You'll know everything soon, but if you're smart, there's little hints every now and then. :P It's all right you didn't review the last chapter, it didn't show up until after I put up the second one. I'll update Different Defenders as soon as my writer's block goes away. :P _

_**Jenny:** You get the second chapter notice before the actual story notice when fanfiction decides to be stupid. :P You can beta-read it if you really want to, or you can be surprised by all the randomness of my twisted mind. :P_

_**Melissa:** I think I sent this to you too, so you probably did read it before. Being stuck in the past seems cooler, though... :P Yeah, this one's rated M. It's really not that graphic anywhere, but I felt like having some fun. :innocent smile:_

_**Ashley Hammond/Astro Yellow: **I think I wrote this in August, so that would be months... I answered the photo question... I found a photo... I helped with Ray's present... my brains are already fried... I almost finished the Christmas special. Anything else:P_

_**Liz:** Thanks... At the present time, Ashley's stepfather is doing nothing to her, but the past and future are a different story..._

Chapter 3

"Shh, Ana!" Carlos Valerte hissed as his eight-year-old sister shrieked loudly. Her twin sister giggled at the look of outrage on the former black ranger's face. "Maria, you be quiet, too!"

"Why do we have to be quiet?" Ana demanded.

"Because I didn't tell Andros I was giving you two a tour of the Megaship, that's why," Carlos answered. "He might not approve of two children running around on his ship."

"It's your ship too," a quiet voice reminded him, and Carlos jumped. Looking over his shoulder, he saw Andros leaning against the doorjamb, his arms crossed.

"Oh, hey, Andros," Carlos said, once his heart rate had dropped far enough to allow normal speech. "I was just about to give my sisters a tour of the ship. They've been begging me to do it forever, and I figured-"

"It's fine," Andros said. "Like I said, you guys are welcome to be here whenever you want."

"You're really the red ranger?" Ana demanded, marching up to him and inspecting him closely. "My brother said you were an alien."

"That's enough, Ana," Carlos warned as Andros's lips quirked up in a grin.

"Do **you** think I'm an alien?" he asked the girl, who flipped her long black hair out of her face before answering.

"No," Ana answered. She regarded him thoughtfully. "If you were an alien, you should be green."

"Ana, enough!" Carlos snapped, as Andros choked down a laugh.

"Earth isn't the only place where humans live," he informed her. "Deca, will you give the girls a tour? I need to talk to Carlos for a second."

Shrieking with delight at the prospect of a guided tour from the ship itself, Ana and Maria ran off. Carlos watched them go, shaking his head before turning to look at Andros quizzically.

"What's up, man?"

"I need to talk to you," Andros said urgently. "You and Ashley are pretty close, right?"

"Yeah," Carlos said slowly. "Is something wrong?"

"I... I'm not sure," Andros said, hesitating. He didn't feel the need to tell Carlos what had happened the night before. "I was just wondering... have you ever met her family?"

Carlos had to stop and think hard for several minutes before he could recollect any such incident. "I think I met her brother once," he said thoughtfully. "But never her parents."

He noticed that Andros didn't look too surprised. "Have you ever been to her house?"

"No," Carlos said. This time, he didn't stop to think about it. He'd spent hours at TJ's, always with his uncle hanging around, and hours at Cassie's, when her mother wasn't around, but he'd never been to Ashley's house. "I don't even know where she lives."

Carlos seemed a bit surprised as he said this. He and Ashley had been extremely close in their early days as Turbo rangers, and while they had drifted apart when they'd blasted off into space, Ashley was still one of his best and closest friends, and one of the people that he trusted the most.

"That's it," Andros said, keeping his tone as casual as he could. "I was just wondering, that's all. You'd better go keep your sisters from starting a war with Deca."

"Yikes," Carlos muttered. Ana and Maria had been on their own for a whole five minutes now, plenty of time for them to get themselves into a major situation. Completely forgetting his conversation with Andros, at least temporarily, Carlos took off down the hall in the direction his sisters had taken, knowing that he was likely to crisscross the ship several times over before he ever caught sight of them.

Andros sighed heavily as he watched Carlos leave. _Maybe Ashley wasn't lying to me after all,_ he thought. _Or maybe she's lying to all of us..._ He felt horribly guilty for the thought, even though he was almost positive that it was true. He didn't want to believe that he'd fallen in love with someone who he couldn't trust... or someone who didn't trust him.

"Morning, Andros," Karone greeted her brother as she passed him on her way to breakfast. "How are you?"

"I'm fine," Andros answered. Karone blinked at him; he hadn't noticed that she'd come out of Zhane's room instead of her own. "I'll see you later, all right?"

"Sure," Karone agreed. _What's wrong with him?_

Andros knocked lightly on Ashley's door. "Ash, it's me. Can I come in?"

There was no response, and for a second, Andros thought Ashley was still asleep, and he was about to turn around and wander aimlessly for a few hours when the door opened. Ashley looked beyond exhausted, and Andros doubted that she'd gotten even a minute of sleep. She was still dressed in the clothes she had been wearing the day before, and her eyes were red and puffy from countless tears.

"You can come in," she said quietly, and Andros quickly stepped inside her room, letting Ashley lock the door behind her. The lights were on, albeit dimly, and Andros could make out the outline of a bed, a dresser, and a desk. Ashley had sat down on her bed, curled up, and Andros felt his heart go out to her, despite the small voice in his head that told him he should be feeling angry with her, not sorry for her.

"Ashley, look at me," Andros said quietly, his heart heavier than it had been in a long time. He took a deep breath. "We need to talk."

Ashley flinched, knowing that his use of her full name had been deliberate. It had been so long since he'd called her anything but 'Ash' that hearing 'Ashley' again made her painfully aware of how serious he was.

_I love you so much,_ Ashley thought sadly, forcing herself not to cry. Tears wouldn't make this go away, and they certainly wouldn't make this mess any better. _I love you so much, and I'm so sorry I have to hurt you._

"Ash..." Andros started to say, gathering from her silence that she wasn't going to be the one to speak first, then giving up, lost. "Please say something."

"What do you want, Andros?" Ashley asked, refusing to look at him. "It's six in the morning. If you want to talk, then talk, but don't just sit here and look at me like that."

Andros's face filled with hurt at her words, and the sad, lost look in his hazel eyes told her how he was expecting this conversation to end. Ashley felt her eyes burning as she fought down a new round of tears, her guilt monumentally increasing with each passing second.

Ashley sighed. She didn't deserve Andros, and she never had. Ever since he'd finally worked up the nerve to ask her out, he'd been nothing but sweet and gentle and caring to her, and he didn't deserve what she was doing to him all because she was too much of a coward to trust him with her darkest secret. He'd trusted her with all of his, and she owed him something for that.

_I can't do this to him._

"Andros," she whispered. "I'm sorry, so sorry, for everything."

Andros kept silent, and at first she thought he was too angry with her to speak, until she realized that he was waiting for her to keep talking. Ashley took a deep breath, and opened her mouth, answering his silent request for an explanation.

"Yesterday, I was upset about something else," she began hesitantly, "and I took it out on you. Andros, I'm so sorry for everything I said last night. I just... I don't know."

Ashley paused, trying to sort out her thoughts, and Andros sighed sadly, staring at her, his expression completely forlorn, and Ashley found herself wanting more and more to just break down and pour out her entire story.

"Have I done anything to hurt you?" Andros asked softly. "Ash, I just need to know."

"Andros, I promise, it's nothing that has to do with you." Ashley looked him directly in the eye as she spoke. Andros met her gaze, his hazel eyes boring into hers for several long seconds before he finally looked away.

"Then why have you been avoiding me?"

Ashley looked distinctly uncomfortable now. "That's something else," she mumbled. "Andros, we only got back to Earth two weeks ago, but ever since then, we've had so much more time to be alone, and..."

Her voice trailed off into nothingness, and Ashley shot Andros a pleading look, hoping he'd understand. If he didn't, or wouldn't, then no matter how much she loved him, she couldn't be with him.

"And you're afraid that if we spend too much time together I'll want you to sleep with me?" Andros finished for her. Ashley nodded slowly.

"Isn't that what you'll want?"

Andros hesitated. "I'm not saying that it isn't," he said finally, uneasily, "but if you don't want to, I'd never try to make you."

Ashley watched his face carefully as he spoke, wondering if he was sincere or not. He sounded it, but so had Scott and Alex and David, not to mention countless others that she'd been unfortunate enough to come in contact with. The lucky ones hadn't made her fight them; Scott had ended up with a broken nose and a severely sprained ankle.

"Ash, you **do** believe me, right?"

The look on her face clearly spoke a 'no' to him, but Andros couldn't keep himself from asking anyway. Again, he found himself wondering if Ashley even cared, or if she wasn't just trying to make him uncomfortable enough to leave her.

"I believe you," Ashley said finally, her face relaxing as she decided the look in Andros's eyes meant that he was telling her the truth. "Sorry, Andros. I didn't mean to doubt you, I just wanted to be sure."

Andros shrugged, not quite looking at her, and Ashley realized just how uneasy this conversation was making him. With a sigh, she touched his hand, curling her fingers around his. Andros cast her a surprised look, but relaxed as she entwined her fingers in his.

"Andros, I really **am** sorry I yelled at you before," Ashley said softly, her fingers squeezing his hand for an instant.

His hazel eyes met chocolate brown ones warily, but softened almost the instant that they did so. Andros gave her a rueful smile, and pulled her into his arms, holding her in such a strong grip that Ashley wondered if he might actually break some of her ribs.

"Ash, would you just **tell** me the next time something's bothering you?" Andros's tone was light, but he sounded completely exasperated. "I was so worried that you were going to leave me or something."

"You thought what?" Ashley struggled out of his embrace long enough to look him in the eye. "Was I that bad?"

"Almost," Andros said, giving her a half-smile. "I was wrong, right?"

"Of course you were wrong," Ashley exclaimed, resting her head against his shoulder.

"I've never been happy to hear that before," Andros said. He shifted position slightly and readjusted his hold on her. "Are you okay now?"

"Yeah," Ashley said sheepishly. "I guess I am."

"Is something else bothering you?" Andros asked knowingly, hearing a listless note somewhere in Ashley's otherwise cheerful voice. Ashley gave him a startled look and wondered, not for the first time, if he was somehow reading her mind.

At that moment, she made her decision, surprised at what an easy choice it had come down to in the end. After years of agonizing endlessly over her painful secrets, Ashley suddenly realized that she trusted Andros just as much as he trusted her.

"It's nothing, really," she said, her heart speeding up as she contemplated what she was about to do, but in her heart, she knew that if Andros couldn't accept everything that was in her past, no one could. "I was just wondering... I turn eighteen in a week and a half, and I was wondering, if I could maybe..."

"If you could what?" Andros prompted her gently when she stopped speaking.

"Can I live here for awhile?" Ashley asked him, her heart suddenly leaping into her throat.

"You can live here forever," Andros replied. He said the words lightly, but he meant them with all his heart.

"Thank you," Ashley whispered, now clinging to him more than she was holding him, something that did not escape his notice. "My mom, and Terry, my stepfather, as soon as I turn eighteen, they're kicking me out."

"Why?" Andros couldn't keep himself from asking. He regretted it the instant Ashley's face started to crumple, and quickly added, "It's none of my business, Ash."

"It is, actually," she said heavily. Glancing at the digital alarm clock by her bed, Ashley saw that it was a quarter past seven now. "Andros, I really do have to go home today."

"I'll see you later, right?" Andros released Ashley and she scrambled out of his arms, darting into the bathroom to turn on the shower. While she was waiting for the water temperature to adjust itself, she came back into the room, where Andros was still sitting on her bed.

"Sometime tonight," Ashley said as he got up. He started towards the door, and she caught his arm. "Wait."

Andros turned, giving her a questioning glance, and Ashley hesitated, focusing on the noise of the shower rather than him.

"Before you let me move back here, I need to show you something," Ashley told him in a rushed whisper, the words coming out slurred.

"Okay," Andros agreed, disturbed by her expression. If he had ever doubted seeing a hint of fear in her eyes, all his doubts were gone now, as pure terror suddenly sprang into her face. Silently, he reached out and held her close for a minute. "When?"

"Not today," Ashley whispered, trying to think. "It'll have to wait until my mom and Terry aren't home."

"Okay," Andros said again, his grip on her tightening instinctively. Now he knew for a fact that there was something very wrong in Ashley's life, and he knew it was going to taunt him until he knew just what was going on. "I'll wait."

"Thank you," Ashley whispered in his ear. "I've got to go now, but I'll come see you later, all right?"

"I'll see you later," Andros echoed, kissing her as gently as he could. "Have fun."

Ashley gave a bitter sort of laugh and disappeared into the bathroom, but not before Andros had seen the tears that glistened in her eyes, unshed. Andros stared at the closed door for a moment before leaving her room, not wanting to intrude on her space any longer without an invitation.

Somehow, Andros knew that Ashley was undoubtedly in the bathroom crying, and he wondered what could be horrible enough to cause the cheery, hopeful Ashley he knew and loved to break down so far.

Andros sighed. He wasn't going to be able to concentrate on anything else today.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer**:Power Rangers... Disney. Ashley's parents... mine. Ashley's parents... bad.

_**Liz:** Thanks. Here's some more, and there's some hints in here as to what she's hiding. _

_**Mel:** Have fun studying. Haha... Take an extended study break while you're reading this chapter:P_

Chapter 4

"Ashley, you load the dishwasher," her mother ordered her tiredly that night. "Once you do that, and put away the food, you can go. I'm sure you have better things to do than stay here."

"No, Mom, it's fine," Ashley said quietly, as she began clearing the table. "I don't mind. I'll clean everything up."

"I've got to go, Ashy," Jeff said apologetically, giving his sister a hug. "I'm working the night shift tonight."

"Don't worry about it," Ashley assured him. "Thanks for coming."

"Anytime, Ash," Jeff said, hugging her once more before he headed out the door. Ashley listened to his footsteps receding, and heard a car door open and slam, followed by the four or five minutes of false starts before Jeff's third-hand car rumbled to life. She let out a soft sigh as the car drove off. One of her protectors was gone.

Shaking her head to wake herself, Ashley gathered up the five dishes smeared with what had at one time been chocolate cake, stacking them one on top of the other, and dropping a handful of equally dirty forks on the top plate. She carried them into the kitchen, setting them down on the counter, and running them under warm water before depositing them into the dishwasher.

After she'd cleaned up the mess left over from desert, she exhaled slowly before tackling the one that they'd made during dinner. Wrinkling her nose, she tossed bits of uneaten hamburger into the trash, and scraped the remains of salad off the plates as well. Ashley rinsed them as she listened to the conversation that wafted into the kitchen from the dining room, most of it about her.

"... such a disappointment," her mother was saying. "I thought she would have known better."

"Yes, well, some girls are like that," Terry said, obviously trying to reassure her mother. "No matter what you do right."

"I thought I'd raised her better than that, Terry," her mother said despairingly. "And look at the mess she's gotten us all into. It's only been two years!"

"I know," he said soothingly. "Think of it this way. In only sixteen years, we'll all finally be free of your daughter and all the trouble she brought on you."

"Why couldn't she have just wanted a dog?" her mother wailed. "Or a fish. Something small that would be dead by now. I would have bought her a dog."

"Ashley just wants attention," Terry said comfortingly. "I think she's gotten plenty in the last two years, and in less than two weeks, she'll be gone."

His tone was light, cheerful even, and Ashley felt her cheeks coloring with a mixture of humiliation and rage, and she nearly dropped the plate due to her trembling hands. Setting it down as gently as she could in the sink, Ashley leaned forward onto the counter, gripping the edge of the sink to support herself.

Tears welled up in her eyes, and she couldn't hold them in. Crying silently, she tried to wrap up the leftover food as quickly as she could. Her hands were shaking so that when she went to tear off some plastic wrap, she cut herself on the blade edge of the box. Hissing in pain, she quickly stuck her right hand under the faucet, watching in detatched fascination as the water washed the blood away, a small tinge of pink to the water that swirled down the drain.

Ashley snapped out of her daze when she heard her mother announce that she was going to bed, and looked around the kitchen hopelessly. There was no way that she could possibly manage to escape before Terry came in. Sure enough, as soon as the distant slam of her mother's bedroom doors reached her ears, Ashley heard her stepfather walk into the kitchen.

Her eyes watered as Terry caught a handful of her hair, twisting it in his hands. He yanked hard, and her head snapped back, and she was forced to stare into his blue eyes filled with loathing and contempt.

"It's rude to eavesdrop, you know," he commented as Ashley struggled to free herself. She reached behind her head, both her hand clamping down on his, but her wet fingers slipped as he removed her hands from his wrist with his free hand.

"Let me go!" Ashley snapped through clenched teeth. Terry only laughed. Still holding her right hand behind her head, he spotted the blood once again oozing out of her cut finger, and squeezed her finger, forcing a great deal more crimson to pour out of the injury. Ashley wrenched her hand away from him, and tried to ignore him. She might have succeeded but for the fact that he still had a firm grasp on her hair.

"I won't be home at all tomorrow, so you sure better show up, you little slut," he hissed at her. "Tawny isn't my problem, anyway. Tawny isn't your mother's problem, and you're lucky as hell that Jeff makes Tawny his problem. If it wasn't for him, your mother might have just died having someone like you for her child."

"I'll be here," Ashley whispered. Her head was starting to pound, and it was too much of a trial not to cry. Tears sild silently down her cheeks as she stood there, trapped, unable to get away. "You know I'll be here."

"Unless you decide you'd be better off spending time with your boyfriend," Terry said, and Ashley froze. It was only for a split second, but it didn't go unnoticed by the man forcibly holding her, and he laughed triumphantly.

"I don't have a boyfriend," Ashley muttered, giving up an attempt to twist herself free. Terry would let go when he wanted to, and her head would hurt her badly enough for the next week without having her rip out half her hair.

"So now you're a lying little slut?" Terry challenged her, pulling harder, dragging her head back farther, causing Ashley's eyes to water with pain. "Don't think I haven't seen you with him. What's his name again? What's the name of your precious red ranger? Tell me!"

"Andros," Ashley whispered. "His name is Andros."

"And I'm betting you haven't told Andros your little secret," Terry taunted her. "Because you know he'll leave you once he find out. How'd you end up with him anyway? Did he take pity on you? Was he rejected by his own species?"

"He's human," Ashley snapped angrily. "More human than you'll ever be."

Terry released her then, and Ashley's head fell back into its rightful place. Grabbing her instead by the shoulders, he spun her around to face him, and slapped her as hard as he could, once on each side of the face. Ashley's head snapped from side to side with the force of each blow, and for several seconds afterwards felt nothing on either side of her face.

"Don't you dare insult my humanity," Terry growled at her in a dangerously low voice. "I should have thrown you out of this house two years ago and let you live on the streets for all you're worth! I should make you leave right now, you little ingrate, instead of giving you another week and a half to pack up your things. I should show the world who you really are. You'd be nobody's hero then, Yellow Ranger."

He spat the last two words at her in disgust, before turning on his heel and storming out of the room. Ashley watched to make sure that he wasn't coming back before pressing her hands to her furiously stinging cheeks. Leaving the kitchen in the state it was in, she flew up the stairs to the room that she was allowed to call her own for the next eleven days.

She closed the door quickly and slammed her fist against the button that would lock the door. The door didn't lock, and hadn't since she was fifteen, but it somehow gave her a small sense of security.

"Dad, why did you have to leave us?" she whispered, not for the first time in the seven years since she's last seen her father. After the divorce, there had never been any visits, few letters, and even less phone calls, and certainly nothing in the last two years, almost three now.

Not even her father, who had been the one to make her parent's marriage unravel, wanted anything to do with her anymore. He, like her mother, probably regretted ever having her, ever giving her his name.

Ashley sank down onto her bed, wishing now more than ever that she could just curl up and die. No life at all sounded more appealing than the two lives she was forced to live now; the one where she pretended to be the same happy, cheerful Ashley that she had always been, and the darker life, where she was the outlet of everyone's frustrations, the cause of all their problems.

Ashley hated herself. Her mom had first met Terry when she was twelve, and they'd become a couple a few months later. Ever since their first meeting, Ashley knew that Terry had taken an instant dislike to her, and as time passed, dislike had become hate, hate had become contempt, and contempt had become loathing, and eventually, Ashley had transferred Terry's feeling to herself, after loathing had become something even more frightening.

Rolling onto her side, Ashley stared at the corner of her room, or more specifically, what occupied the corner of her room. A constant reminder of the useless failure that she had become, and always would be, it was also a faint symbol of hope to her.

Ashley closed her eyes to block out the nightmarish images that always plagued her when she slept in this room. She had to stay here tonight, she knew. If she went back to the Megaship, Andros would certainly come looking for her, and he would know instantly that something was wrong. Even if he didn't question her, Ashley didn't have the energy to face him, even for a few moments.

At the thought of Andros, Ashley was reminded of what she'd resolved to do. What she'd steeled herself to tell him, to show him. Terry would be gone tomorrow. Tomorrow, it would be safe to bring him here. Jeff might be home, but she could probably convince him to leave, she thought. When she finally broke down and let Andros see the darkest side of her life, she didn't want anyone else around to witness it.

Ashley closed her eyes, knowing that sleep would never come to her on this night, not in this room. Sleep here had been nearly impossible now for almost three years, but Ashley closed her eyes anyway, hoping somehow that the darkness would be a safe haven for her.

It was a foolish hope.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer:** Tawny is mine! The rest is not.

_**Chylea3784:** Here it is._

_**Ashley Hammond/Asto Yellow:** Good luck on your test. :P And I'm working (very hard :P) on more. Sure, I'll be your beta reader if Jenny dies. (Jenny, don't die.) :P_

_**Mz. Daydream:** You find out now who Tawny is, and after that, you should have a clear idea of what's up with her stepdad. Did I mention that this isn't a happy story:P_

_**Liz:** Well, she's not poor..._

_**Me:** You'll know for sure in the next chapter, but you should have a good idea by the end of this chapter. _

_**Melissa:** I already like rock, it won't take that much work. :P_

Chapter 5

Ashley tossed and turned in bed until the black night sky was tinged pink in the horizon and slowly transfomed itself into a deep gray, then a hazy silver. Her eyes were wide open by four, but she remained motionless in bed until seven.

Then she heard the voices wafting up the stairs cease, and the door opened and was slammed shut several times in a row. The sound of jingling keys just barely touched her ears, and she sighed with relief when everything fell silent once more. The dull roar of two cars being started reached her, and when the sound died away, Ashley finally got up, and checked that Jeff was still there.

Her brother was sprawled out on the sofa, buried under a mixture of textbooks, comics, and car ads. He glanced up every now and then to see if the TV had ended its not quite so brief commercial break, and turned back to his homework, disappointed, when he saw that it wasn't.

"Hey, Jeff," Ashley said quietly, feeling as though she was somehow an intruder here, in what should have been her home. "How long will you be here for?"

"I've got a class at ten," he said absentmindedly, pausing on a picture of a car that was bright and shiny and new. "Are you going somewhere?"

"I'll be back in less than an hour, I swear," Ashley said, giving him a pleading look.

"Sure," Jeff said. "Be back by nine. I promised Katie I'd give her a ride, and I'll need time to pick her up."

"Sure," Ashley echoed, envying her carefree brother and his unrestricted, permitted time with his girlfriend. "I'll be right back."

_Please be awake, Andros,_ she thought as she teleported herself back to the Megaship. She suddenly felt soothed, as she always did here, in her safe haven. The halls were empty and quiet. Zhane and Karone would be asleep, and Cassie was in Los Angeles for an audition, she remembered vaguely.

"Deca, is Andros up yet?"

"He is not," came the instant reply. "Would you like me to wake him?"

"No, that's okay," Ashley said hastily. "I'll wait."

Ashley crept quietly to her room and locked the door, tempted to just roll into bed and make up for hours and hours of lost sleep, but if she fell asleep now, by the time she woke up, it would be too late. Her mother and Terry would come back home, and Ashley knew that if she waited too long, her nerve would fail her, and she'd never be able to bring herself to show Andros who she really was.

Walking into her bathroom, Ashley turned on the water, feeling the need for a shower, something she was afraid to do in her own home. Ashley stepped into the shower, letting the warm water soothe her nerves as it rolled off of her body. When she emerged, she was calm, at least for the moment, and certainly more awake than she had been when she'd arrived on the Megaship.

She dressed quickly in a blue jean skirt and a yellow tank top, and sat down on her bed waiting patiently for Andros to wake up. However, her patience wore thin as quickly as her nerves did, and soon she was pacing back and forth across the room. Sighing, she gave up and went to wake him up herself.

Andros was sprawled across his bed, one arm buried under his pillow as he slept more or less on his side. The blanket was pulled over his head, his hair falling across his face, and despite everything that was going to happen today, Ashley had to smile at the sight of him.

Andros rarely looked as vulnerable as he did right now, and it was a nice reminder that he was, in fact, a human being. Ashley had no reason to doubt that he was but for the fact that in all the horrible scenarios that currently filled her head, he was acting much less human when he discovered her terrible secret.

"Andros." Ashley leaned over and whispered his name in his ear, brushing some of his hair out of his face as she did so. He responded to her touch much more than he did to her voice and stirred slightly, the hand holding the blanket pulling it even further over his head. "Andros, please wake up."

He mumbled something sleepily, the words not quite coherent, and for a moment, Ashley debated over whether or not she should just leave and try again some other day. Then Andros opened his eyes slowly, and sat up when he caught sight of her.

"Hey," he said, catching her in a one-armed hug. Ashley let herself be pulled down next to him and his other arm went around her as well. She couldn't help wondering if this was the last time that he would hold her like this, or the last time that she would let him. "What are you doing up so early?"

"I... I need to show you something," Ashley muttered. Andros felt her tense and looked into her sad eyes with concern. He touched her face gently, and she rested her cheek against his palm for a moment, just wanting him to hold her and never let go. "Can you come with me?"

"Now?" Andros had already thrown off the blankets and was glancing around the floor for something clean to wear.

"Yeah," Ashley said. "Sorry, I know I shouldn't have woken you up."

"Don't worry about it, Ash," Andros told her. "I'm normally up by now anyway."

He decided that she didn't need to know that the reason he was still asleep was because he'd been awake until two in the morning waiting for her to come back. He'd finally fallen asleep, deciding that she must have slept at her own house.

Andros changed quickly in the bathroom, and when he stepped back into his room, he saw that Ashley was still sitting on his bed, staring off into space. Her face was completely blank, and he wasn't sure if it was from anxiety or sheer exhaustion. It didn't take a genius to realize that Ashley had slept little in the last week.

"Hey," he said softly, touching her shoulder. Ashley jumped, and Andros quickly dropped his hand. "We can go now, if you're ready."

"What? Oh, yeah, I'm ready," Ashley said distantly, and Andros frowned, staring at her for a moment, eyes clouded with worry. "Come on."

Andros followed Ashley as she teleported herself down to Earth, an odd feeling settling itself in the pit of his stomach. He had a bad feeling about this, whatever it was. He gave her a questioning glance when they appeared in a secluded area of the park, wondering why she'd brought him here.

"My house, it's this way," Ashley said tersely as she started walking, leaving Andros to follow, which he did, but not without apprehensions. He took her hand out of habit, surprised to feel her fingers clamp down on his. Ashley said nothing else until they were in sight of her house, a fairly old two-story building with a wide front lawn.

"You live here?" Andros asked, slightly taken aback. This house must have cost money, lots of it, and Ashley had never given any indication that her family was this well-off.

"I hope not," Ashley muttered, and Andros hugged her on impulse. "Listen, Andros, I should warn you. When I go in here, I become a different person."

Andros nodded silently, feeling her finger tighten on his as soon as she'd unlocked the door. Andros would have been ready to swear that Ashley was afraid to enter her own house. The inside was cool, a fresh breeze from the air conditioner teasing their hair. Ashley shivered slightly, Andros feeling the tremor through their clasped hands.

"Jeff?" she called. "I'm back."

"In here," a voice called, and Ashley led Andros through the house. Every inch was meticulously clean, the furniture all looking brand new and lined in perfect angles. Nothing was sloppy, each color perfectly complementing each other color that happened to be in that room. Andros had a vision of Ashley's mother spending hours organizing her house, expending so much effort to make it all appear perfect.

"Jeff, can you come here for a minute?" Ashley asked, and this time there was no mistaking the anxiety in her voice. Andros looked at her and was about to speak when a young man about three years older than Ashley appeared. He knew instantly that this must be her brother; there was a strong resemblence between them.

Jeff and Ashley shared the same friendly smile, but his became more of a frown when he spotted Andros. He looked at Ashley with his eyebrows raised. "Ash?"

"Um, Jeff, this is Andros," Ashley said. "Andros, this is my brother Jeff."

"Hi," Andros said politely, extending his hand, as he'd picked up was custom here on Earth. Jeff shook his hand, his bewildered expression not quite disappearing.

"Ash, can I talk to you for a second?"

Ashley sighed. "Andros, do you mind?"

"Go ahead, Ash," he told her, dropping her hand. Andros stood awkwardly at the foot of the steps as Ashley was pulled into a room by her brother, who were both talking louder than they thought they were.

"Are you doing what I think you're doing?" Jeff was demanding.

"Yes," he heard Ashley snap. "I can't hide it from him anymore."

"Ash, are you sure about this?"

"Jeff, I -"

Ashley suddenly lowered her voice, and Andros couldn't hear any more. A little disappointed, and more than a little guilty for eavesdropping, he did his best to think about something else than the conversation going on just feet away from him. After another five minutes, Ashley reappeared, looking absolutely terrified, and Jeff moved past her, heading down the hall that led to the front door. Only after the door opened and shut did Ashley speak again.

"Andros, before I do this, promise me that you'll never tell anyone," she whispered. "You need to know, but no one else does, not yet, and I've never told anyone before. Please, just promise me."

"I'll never tell," Andros promised her solemnly. "Ash, just **show** me. You're really starting to scare me."

"I'm sorry," Ashley muttered. "But **I'm** scared."

She took a deep breath and led him up the stairs, carpeted in a deep, rich gray-blue. The upstairs was no less spacious than the downstairs had been, and Ashley didn't stop walking until she'd led him down a long hallway and turned left, stopping at the second door.

"This is my room," she said shakily, her hand trembling as she placed it on the doorknob. "In here."

Ashley flipped on the lightswitch and entered, stepping aside to give Andros room to follow her in. The carpeting in here was a light tan, and the walls were brightly painted. The room was generally neat, not compulsively organized like the rest of the house, but comfortably messy. In one corner of the room there was Ashley's bed, the sheets rumpled from her attempt at sleep the night before. In another corner was her dresser, and in the third, a desk, unused for many months, still littered with a few old papers. However, it was what took up the fourth corner of the room that had caught Andros' attention the moment he'd entered the room.

A crib, painted white, the bars a cheerful swirl of yellow, pale green, baby blue, and pink, housing inside of it a sleeping child, more of a toddler now than an infant. It was a girl, and she slept peacefully under a white and yellow blanket, blissfully unaware of the uneasiness that spread through the room.

"Who's this?" Andros asked curiously. "Your sister?"

"Her name's Tawny," Ashley whispered, struck with the realization that she'd never spoken the name aloud in the presence of someone outside of her family. "She turned two yesterday... and she's not my sister."

"Then who-"

Andros stopped talking as he heard Ashley stifle a sob. He turned slowly to face her, and found her staring at the floor, her hands pressed to her mouth as tears trickled down her cheeks. Andros stared at her, the truth hitting him hard. His stomach vanished for several minutes, a heavy boulder taking its place.

Andros gave her a long, searching look, his hazel eyes fishing for something anywhere in her expression that would tell him that he was wrong in thinking what he was, but though he tried desperately, he found nothing there, and eventually he forced himself to speak.

"Your daughter?"

Slowly, Ashley nodded her head yes, crying harder as the world that had already caved in began to bury her.


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer:** Power Rangers is not mine... yet.

_**Maiken:** Of course he will! _

_**Chylea3784:** Well, this chapter tells you who the father is... _

_**PinkRanger4Evr:** Nope, Andros and Ashley haven't even known each other for two years. You see who the father is, but this isn't a happy chapter..._

_**Ashley Hammond/Astro Yellow:** Yay, Jenny's not dead! I don't have to beta-read:P_

_**Liz:** Well, here's more, and you see who the father is and Andros's reaction._

_**Mel:** Father, not husband. :P There's gotta be something left for Andros to do. :P Rated M is the same thing as rated R, I think, or that's what it was before they changed it. _

Chapter 6

Andros was at a complete loss for words, and Ashley was incapable of speech, so they stood there silently for several minutes, staring at each other, the quiet broken only by Ashley's sobbing and her daughter's peaceful, even breathing.

"Ash, how...?" Andros finally choked out. "Why didn't you...?"

He didn't manage to finish either question. Ashley continued sobbing, giving Andros no sign that she'd heard him in the first place. Andros had no clue what he was supposed to do now. Half of him was trying to convince himself to turn around and never come back, but the other half, the stronger half as it turned out to be, wanted nothing more than to comfort her, as she'd done for him when he'd needed it.

Ashley dragged her palms across her face, swiping angrily at her tears, trying to control herself long enough to at least explain it all to him. "Andros, I..." Andros made his decision then, and stepped closer to her, intending to pull her into his arms, stopping short when she flinched.

"No." Ashley shook her head as she backed away from him, trembling, her eyes locked fearfully on his. Andros stood stock still as Ashley crawled into the far corner of her bed, putting as great a distance between them as was physically possible without relocating one of them to a different room.

"I... I'm sorry," Andros muttered helplessly. "I didn't mean to scare you, Ash."

Ashley made no reply, and Andros doubted that she'd even heard him in the first place. Andros hesitated. "Do you want me to leave?"

"No." Ashley's soft whisper managed to carry through the room, and when it reached his ears, Andros found his heart aching for her. "I need to tell you."

_"We could talk like this."_

"Don't do that!" Ashley wailed, her eyes overflowing with tears kept in far too long. "Stay out of my head!"

"I'm sorry." Ashley blinked tears out of her eyes to look at him. Eyes downcast, Andros certainly looked sorry, but for what, she couldn't be sure, as much as she wanted to believe him. Uncertainly, she nodded.

"I've never told anyone what happened before," she muttered, her voice heavy as it reached Andros's ears. "Promise you'll never tell **anyone** what I tell you." Andros hesitated. "Promise," Ashley insisted, a few stray tears leaking out of her eyes. "Andros, promise me."

"I promise," Andros muttered reluctantly. The instant he did so, he knew it was a mistake, that he had just done Ashley a huge injustice by agreeing to her condition, but he wouldn't go back on his word to her. "Ash... I-"

"Let me talk first," Ashley pleaded. "I'll tell you everything, I promise."

Andros nodded wordlessly, still hovering near the open doorway of her room. Ashley wished he could be even farther away, but she couldn't exactly shout her story to him. She highly doubted that she could even whisper it, but she had to try. Andros must have read her face correctly, for he said quickly, "If you can't, you don't have to. You don't owe it to me."

Ashley hesitated. She knew that Andros was only trying to ease the pressure that he'd put on her unknowingly, but she wanted, needed to tell him, and yet she was so close to backing out, and making up a less truthful, less painful story that would end in Tawny's creation. But all the lies that she had told and all the secrets that she had kept were weighing down on her too heavily now, and she needed to get them out before they crushed her. "You're wrong," she whispered. "I do."

"Then I'll listen," Andros promised her softly. Ashley blinked at him sadly, wondering at what point he'd get up and walk away. Taking a deep breath that did nothing to either calm her nerves or strengthen her, Ashley began speaking, her voice just barely audible to herself, but somehow reaching Andros's ears just as clearly as if they were sitting side by side, carrying on a normal, cheerful conversation.

"My parents split up when I was ten," she began, starting from the very beginning, long before her life had become hell on earth, but choosing to speak about something that she was comfortable enough with before she got to the events that haunted her nightmares.

"Jeff was thirteen then. We were upset about it, but we'd been expecting something to happen. My dad, he'd cheated on my mom a few times, and they were always fighting so much in the last few months before the divorce. One night, he called to say that he wasn't coming home. My mom, I don't think that she was all that surprised, and Jeff, I think he knew, but I was too little to really understand what went wrong, why Dad wasn't coming home like normal anymore.

"After the divorce, Dad pretty much disappeared. I think he's somewhere in Nevada now, or maybe Arizona. Dad and I were really close, and when he just left, it hurt. It hurt so much. I haven't seen him in seven years, and it's like he just forgot about me. There were a few phone calls, maybe one a year, whenever he remembered he had two children.

"Two years later, Dad got married again, to some woman he met in Vegas. Last time I heard from him, about three years ago, he was still married. Mom, it took her a few months to get over the shock, but after that, she never mentioned Dad again, except when - when she was screaming at me, she'd say that I was just like him. Mom met Terry when I was twelve, and they got together a few months later. He hated me from the moment he saw me."

Ashley stopped talking abruptly, looking down at her hands, but not before Andros had seen the unbridled terror in her normally laughing eyes. Ashley had been crying silently as she'd been speaking, but now her eyes were flooded again, and she lowered her head, falling onto her side, and curling up on her bed, drawing her knees up to her chin. She attempted to speak through her tears, just needing to get it out, no longer caring much for Andros's reaction.

"My mom needed Terry so much. He was someone who would pay attention to her, who made her feel important enough, who would love her. He made her fall in love with him, and it made her so blind. When Terry started to - to... Andros, I can't."

Andros, who had been staring down at Ashley's shaking form with growing horror, started at the mention of his name. He stared at his girlfriend for a long time, trying to decide what he should be doing.

"Ash," Andros whispered, not too surprised when Ashley didn't look up at him. He'd learned long ago that everything Ashley felt was reflected in her eyes, and right now it was obvious that Ashley was trying to hide from him just how extreme was the emotional turmoil that she was in. "You don't have to keep going if you don't want to."

"I have to," Ashley whispered. "If I don't tell you, then he'll still have so much power over me."

Andros was about to reply when soft babbling reached his ears, and he looked over to see the little girl standing up in her crib. Her eyes were identical to those of her mother's, and Andros couldn't help but feel his heart warming towards her. Tawny was half Ashley, no matter who her other half might be.

Ashley slowly got out from the sheet that she was huddled under, and sat up, rubbing her eyes with the hem of the sheet to dry her eyes before going over to her daughter.

"Hey, Tawny," she said, her usual smile back on her face, incredibly forced and fake. "How are you?"

"Hi, Mommy!" Tawny shouted, flinging her arrms around Ashley's neck as she was lifted out of the crib.

"You're getting heavy," Ashley remarked cheerfully, settling Tawny on one hip. "I'll have to remind your grandma and grandpa that they were going to buy you a bed six months ago."

Ashley hesitated when she walked past Andros on her way across the room again, and timidly turned enough for him to get a good look at the little girl's face. Tawny grinned at him, and Andros couldn't resist smiling back at the little girl.

"Hi," he said shyly, not only having no idea how to talk to a child, but almost frightened of her. Ashley's lower lip quivered, and she set Tawny down on the ground, turning away before her daughter could see how distraught she was.

"This is a friend of mine, okay, sweetheart?" Ashley said, waiting until Tawny nodded. "Will you go play with Panda while I talk to him for a little while?"

Tawny nodded again, and produced seemingly out of nowhere a gigantic stuffed giraffe that had to be taller than she was when not dragged around by its neck. She dragged the poor animal across the room to where Andros still stood, watching her curiously.

"Mommy and you share him," she warned him. Andros stared at her, and for a second, he found himself fighting down the urge to cry. He swallowed hard and nodded as he took the giraffe, setting it down carefully on the floor beside him, halfway between the spot where he'd stood since he'd entered the room, and the spt that Ashley hadn't moved from since she'd set Tawny down, six feet away. Tawny nodded, apparently satisfied, and darted across the room again, vanishing into the closet, materializing with an armload of smaller stuffed animals, among them the panda that Ashley must have been referring to earlier.

"Wow," he murmured softly, still watching her. Ashley was in tears again, and Andros longed to hold her, and comfort her, but he knew that if he tried, she wouldn't let him. "You've got to be the strongest person that I know, Ash."

"Don't say that," Ashley whispered, slowly backing away from him and sinking back down onto her bed, burying her face in the pillow she clutched to her chest. "If I was strong, I wouldn't even have Tawny. I would have been able to fight back when-" she stopped and swallowed hard before choking out, "Terry raped me."

Andros closed his eyes as her words cut through him. Ashley's body seemed to grow limp after her last sentence, and she curled up under the sheet again. Andros watched her silently, resisting the urge to cross the room to her. He wanted to comfort her, not make her hurt even more than she already was, although he almost changed his mind when Ashley began screaming wordlessly, the sound half-muffled by the pillow, but not enough for him to miss her terror and her pain.

Ashley stared at Andros, eight feet away, across the room, suddenly deathly afraid that he was going to come closer. "No," she whispered to him, squeezing her eyes shut as she wrapped her arms around her knees, as though she could somehow physically hold herself together.

Ashley had always understood what had happened to her. She knew exactly what Terry had done to her, but she'd never allowed herself to dwell on it, and the memories had quickly been buried by her mind, shoved into a forgotten realm for years. It was her way of protecting herself, and it had worked well, allowing her to deal with her two lives, the dark one here in this house, and the cheerful one a complete opposite of it outside.

For two years, she had been able to look at Tawny and see only Tawny, and not remember how frightened she had been, because she hadn't felt her fright, not until now. She'd been able to let herself fall in love with Andros because she hadn't remebered the look of complete hatred in Terry's eyes, coupled with triumph. She'd been able to survive for the last three years because it had never truly seemed real. If she thought about it, for whatever reason, it was with the detachment of a stranger, as if it had happened to someone else, someone she didn't know, as opposed to her own self.

Everything came crashing back to her, and she screamed, overwhelmed by it all. She remembered eveything that had happened on that awful night, and the ones that followed it, feeling now the fear, the anger, and the shame that she hadn't felt then.

"No!" Ashley screamed, seeing motion out of the corner of her eye. "Stay away from me!"

"Mommy?"

Ashley raised her head out of the pillow, and saw her daughter staring at her, wide-eyed with fright. Too late, she tried to plaster on the smile she always wore around Tawny. She'd tried so hard to be happy for her sake, and now that was gone too. Ashley stared at Tawny as though seeing her for the first time, wondering how she could be able to love so much this child that she had never wanted.

"I'm okay, sweetheart," Ashley whispered. "Go play some more, okay?"

"Okay," Tawny agreed cheerfully. "Play with me?"

"Mommy doesn't feel like playing right now, sweetie," Ashley said, guiltridden at the crestfallen expression on her daughter's face. "We'll play later, all right?"

"You play?" Tawny asked Andros, who caught himself before he started backing away from her. His eyes flickered to Ashley, who was curled up again, trembling, her forearms covering her face.

"No," Andros said softly. "I don't want to play."

Some time later, Andros didn't know how much, Ashley sat up again, extremely self-conscious of even the smallest movements that she made. "I'm sorry," she muttered.

"Don't apologize," Andros whispered fiercely. "Ash, it wasn't your fault."

"He told me it was," Ashley choked out. "He told me that no one would believe me if I said anything. Then later he told me that if I ever told anyone who Tawny's father was, he'd take her away from me, and I'd never see her again."

"Did you believe him?" Andros asked gently. Ashley shook her head and gave a sad, bitter laugh.

"Not at first," she said, now clutching the giant giraffe by the throat. "I tried to tell my mom. I told her that he was hurting me, and she laughed at me. She told me I needed to learn the difference between nightmares and real life. I believed him then."

"Your mother didn't believe you?" Andros couldn't keep himself from asking increduously. He regretted it the moment that Ashley burst into tears again, but he couldn't reach out and cram the words back down into his throat. Ashley shook her head.

"I'd just turned fifteen," Ashley whispered. "I was only fifteen, Andros, and my own mother thought I was making it up. She didn't want to hear it, and eventually she decided that I was trying to get them to break up so I could go after Terry."

"She what?" Andros was feeling more than a little sick now.

"He brainwashed her," Ashley muttered before choking out a long stream of words in a rushed whisper. "She went on a business trip, and he talked her into letting him stay with us, instead of my grandparents. That night, he - he - I woke up, and he was standing there, looking at me. Andros, I was so scared, and then he asked if I was going to scream. That's all he said, and I was so scared, and I didn't know what he was going to do to me, so I said no, and then he got into the bed with me and started to-"

"Stop," Andros whispered, his face white. "Oh god, Ash, please, stop."

"A few months later, I realized that I was pregnant with Tawny." Ashley continued with her story, although thankfully with a different account than the one of that night. "I don't think I'd ever been more terrified in my life, and I had no idea what to do. Mom would have made me get an abortion, and I knew I couldn't live with myself if I let that happen, so I waited as long as I could before it started showing, and then I ran away until it was too late to have one.

"I was eight months pregnant when I came back, and my mom, the look on her face when she saw me, I knew that she hated me then. She and Terry were married by then, and he just laughed at me. They were going to make me give up the baby for adoption, and then Terry decided that it would be more fun for him if there was a reminder of what a horrible person I was."

Andros stared Ashley, furious that someone would even dream of hurting her. When he'd first met Ashley, he had thought that it would be impossible to wipe her smile off of her cheerful face. Ashley was eternally optimistic and hopelessly romantic, two qualities that he had initially caused him to think her naive and childlike.

Yet somehow, her smile had grown on him, and he'd found himself craving the sound of her laughter. He had become so accustomed to Ashley's bubbly cheerfulness that seeing her now, like this, it seemed entirely wrong, and made him love her all the more, for being the person that she was with such darkness in her life.

"Ash, how did you do it?" Andros couldn't keep himself from asking. "We were in space for so long. How did you stand being away from her for months?"

"They won't let me raise her myself," Ashley said softly. "They know better because they're older, and they're right. I have no clue what I'm doing. I'm lucky they even let her know that I'm her mother, not just her sister. They kept her away from me for so long that when we were gone, I was almost used to it. I was used to hiding it, anyway."

Ashley stopped talking again, nothing left in her that could make her keep going. There were nightmares upon nightmares that she could share with him, and maybe she would someday, but for now, she was completely drained.

"Ash, do you want Tawny to move with you to the Megaship?"

"Please," Ashley begged him, the look in her eyes more pleading than anything Andros had ever seen before. "You'd never even have to see her if you didn't want to. Please, Andros, if I don't bring her with me, I'll never be allowed to see her again. I'll wait as long as I can before bringing her there and I'll leave as soon as I find somewhere else to stay, I promise, just please let me, I can't lose Tawny, Andros, I just can't."

"Ash, stop," Andros said, looking directly into her eyes. "You and Tawny can stay for as long as you want to. Don't wait until next week, Ash, please. I can't stand the thought of you and her staying here."

"You really mean that?" Ashley stared as him.

Andros nodded instantly. "Please, come right now, and get out of this place."

"What about everyone else?" Ashley asked him fearfully. "I'm not ready to tell them yet. Please don't make me."

"Ash, I'd never make you," Andros said. "But when you're ready, there's someone else that I think you need to tell."

"Who?"

"The police, Ash," Andros said gently. "He deserves to rot in prison for what he did to you."

"I can't tell it again that many times," Ashley whispered, shaking again. "It's too much. Andros, everytime I think about it, it's like I'm reliving it, every time it happened, and I just can't do that again."

"When you're ready, Ash," Andros said again. Ashley only stared at him, wondering how he didn't despise her for keeping her entire life a secret.


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer:** The Power Rangers are not mine. I never said they were, so don't sue me for using them.

_**Chylea3784:** Thanks. I'm not used to writing anything this dark, so I'm glad you're liking it so far. _

Chapter 7

Andros lay back on his bunk, staring up at the bottom of the bunk above him, not truly seeing it, not truly seeing much of anything but Ashley's face that morning as she'd told him everything. Ashley had been weak with relief that he hadn't hated her, but now Andros was starting to wish that he hadn't taken everything in so well.

He loved Ashley, but Andros wasn't sure what he was supposed to do now. He loved her, needed her, and wanted to be with her, but the relationship that he thought he'd had with Ashley had changed dramatically in the last few hours, if there still **was** any relationship between him and Ashley.

Tawny's presence bothered him much more than Andros had let on, but he wasn't quite sure why. It wasn't the little girl herself as much as the fact that she existed, he thought slowly, not at all sure that he was going to like himself much when he was done thinking. He didn't want Tawny to bother him, but he couldn't help feeling resentment towards her.

"Deca, is Ashley still in her room?"

"Affirmative," the AI replied without hesitation. "Do you wish to speak with her?"

"No, it's okay," Andros said, although he would very much like to speak with her. He'd spent two hours keeping himself a safe distance from Ashley, helping her pack up any possessions she felt like bringing with her to the Megaship, and then bring them to her room. Ashley had taken little more than her clothes, and from that Andros had gathered that she wanted no reminders of her life in that house. Once her room was cluttered with the duffel bags and suitcases that Ashley had hurriedly shoved clothes into, she'd barricaded herself and Tawny in her room, saying that she wanted to be alone. Andros had left her there, and spent the next several hours trying to sort out how he felt.

He loved Ashley, there was no doubt in his mind about that, but he didn't know if he could accept this child that wasn't his. As much as he hated himself for even thinking it, it also made him extremely uneasy that Ashley had been raped. He still loved her, and he still wanted to be with her, but he wasn't sure how to act around her any longer.

_But if I love her, then nothing else should matter. Isn't love supposed to be unconditional?_

Andros sighed heavily and sat up, the blood rushing to his head, causing the world to spin for several seconds. He wished that someone - anyone - would appear out of thin air, and tell him what he was thinking and what he should be feeling, magically making everything okay again.

"Deca, is anyone here besides Ashley?"

"Cassie, TJ, and Karone are currently onboard the Megaship," Deca replied.

He couldn't stand to stay here in his room any longer. Without anything or anyone to distract him, his thoughts were a whirlwind of confused and jumbled emotions that were beginning to slowly drive him crazy. Besides, if he stayed in his room for too long, Zhane and Karone would come looking for them, and he didn't want to have to think up a story to tell them.

"Where are they?"

"They are all currently eating their dinner."

Andros blinked in surprise. He'd been in his room longer than he'd thought. He stood up and walked out of the room, his legs automatically carrying him in the direction of the holding bay while his mind wandered elsewhere. He cast a troubled glance at Ashley's closed door as he passed by her room, considering trying to talk to her, and deciding against it. He didn't want to push her.

"Hey, Andros," TJ said, glancing up from his mountain of pizza. "Where've you been all day, man?"

"I've been busy," was the only reply Andros could think of in a hurry. He sat down between Cassie and Karone. "What did you guys do?"

"Well..." TJ glanced at Cassie, who grinned, and nodded him on. "I got a job."

"That's great," Andros said without much enthusiasm. "Where?"

"Well, it's not exactly a job," the former blue ranger admitted with a rueful grin. "Yet. I got accepted at the Angel Grove Police Academy."

"Police?" Andros repeated, thinking of his words to Ashley earlier that day. "You're going to be a police officer?"

"If he can survive the training," Cassie teased. "I don't know, it might be too much for someone who saved the world."

"I thought **I** saved the world," Karone broke in, her face perfectly straight. "**I** was the one who stopped that asteroid, remember?"

"And you were also the one who invaded it," TJ retorted. "I think the two deeds cancel each other out."

Karone stuck her tongue out at him, laughing at TJ's outraged look as his dinner slowly levitated toward the blond girl sitting across from him. Cassie laughed, and even TJ himself grinned as Karone helped herself to several slices of pepperoni pizza.

"If you're going to be a police officer, you should eat healthy," she smirked.

TJ made a grab for his dinner, and found the rest of it in Karone's hands as well. "Give that back!"

"Want one?" Karone turned and offered one to her brother. He shook his head, his eyes slightly glazed, not the least bit hungy, not even truly registering what she'd said. "Aw, come on. It's... protein?"

Andros shook his head again, the expression on his face bringing the laughter of his three friends to an abrupt halt.

"Is something wrong?" Cassie asked him.

"I'm fine," Andros muttered, not looking at them. "I think I'll go now."

Cassie and TJ rolled their eyes at each other as Karone reached out and dragged Andros back into his seat. "Sit."

"I don't want to talk about it," Andros mumbled.

"Did you and Ashley have a fight?" TJ questioned him. Andros shook his head. "Where is Ashley, by the way?"

"Her room," Andros muttered, staring at his hands. "She... wasn't feeling too good."

"Andros," Cassie said slowly, "you don't have to talk to us, but you're out of practice at hiding what you're really feeling. Look in a mirror."

"Is it that obvious?" Andros sighed, looking away. "I can't talk about it, you guys. I'm sorry."

"Are you going to be okay?" Karone asked him.

"Yeah," Andros said distantly. "I'll be fine... I'll see you guys later."

Leaving Cassie, TJ, and Karone staring after him, Andros walked away, wandering aimlessly through the Megaship, circling the Megadeck Four several times, and yet inexplicably ending up outside of Ashley's door on Megadeck Three. He turned, intending to walk away and give Ashley her space, and then stopped, hesitating. He really did want to talk to her, even if it was just for a few seconds.

Checking to be sure the hallway was clear of any of their former teammates, Andros rapped quickly on Ashley's door. "Ash?"

There was a long silence, and Andros thought she wasn't going to answer. He was about to walk away again when he heard her answer faintly. "What?"

"Can I come in for just a minute?" he asked, adding, "I won't come near you, I promise."

Several minutes ticked by with no reply. Andros stood there, catching himself before asking again. He didn't want to pressure her, but he wasn't going to leave until she either let him in or told him to go away.

Finally, the door opened, and Andros stepped inside just enough for the door to close, careful not to move too close to Ashley. The bedrooms on the Megaship were considerably smaller than the the one in Ashley's large home, meaning that Andros was several feet closer to Ashley than he had been that morning, and despite the care he was taking not to scare Ashley, he knew that he already had.

"Hi," he said awkwardly. "I just came to see if you were all right."

"I'm fine," Ashley answered him cooly, equally uncomfortable. She sighed, and swallowed hard. "Andros..."

"Hi!"

_Tawny really does look like Ashley_, he thought, watching the little girl as she ran over to greet him, smiling her mother's smile.

"Hi," he said, feeling himself tense.

"Play with me and Mommy?"

"Honey, Andros didn't come here to play," Ashley said, retrieving her daughter, and quickly returning to her bed, which was littered with Tawny's stuffed animals, arranged in a lopsided circle, several of them holding paper cups.

"Your mommy's more fun than I am, anyway," Andros said despite himself, seeing the disappointment on Tawny's face. She was so small, and so innocent. Andros wondered what hell Ashley had gone through to protect her daughter.

"Andros," Ashley started to say, and stopped. She really didn't want to do this to him, but she couldn't expect him to just hang around and wait for her forever, either. Still, she chickened out, and what came out of her mouth was, "This morning at my house... thanks for not leaving before I could explain."

Andros only nodded, not having a reply. "Ash, we need to talk. Not right now, if you're not ready, but..."

_Might as well get it over with,_ Ashley thought glumly. "You're here to break up with me."

Andros didn't reply for a long time. "Not exactly."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ashley narrowed her eyes. "You're not here to ask me out on a date, are you?"

"Ash," Andros said softly. "Just tell me what you want me to do."

Ashley stared at him, stunned. She hadn't expected him to say that... but then again, she hadn't expected him to listen to her whole story, either. She hadn't meant to tell him as much as she had, but when he'd stayed in the doorway of her room for so long, when he obviously didn't want to be there, listening to her, it had made her want to tell him everything, something she hoped wasn't a mistake.

"What?"

"Tell me what you want me to do," Andros repeated patiently, although his face was heavy with sadness. "I'll leave if you want me to."

"I don't want you to," Ashley admitted after a long and awkward pause. "But Andros, I... I can't..."

"I know," Andros said when she stopped talking. He took a deep breath before saying any more. "Ash, I don't know how to say this. I don't want to break up with you, but I know that you don't want me around right now, so I..."

He trailed off, fixing his eyes on the ground as Ashley stared at him, not feeling the tears that stained her cheeks.

"Are you saying that you'd wait for me?" she asked finally.

Andros nodded silently, feeling a small spark of hope in his heart. He didn't know what he would do if he lost Ashley, and he prayed that he wouldn't have to find out. Ashley stared at him almost motionlessly for several minutes, and then slowly shook her head.

She loved Andros, but she could never be with him now. She knew that he would do anything she asked, but for how long? How many weeks, how many months would he wait around for her before he found someone else? Not only that, she'd told him too much. When she'd bared her soul to him earlier that day, she'd handed him a part of herself that she didn't want him to own. On top of all that, Ashley wasn't willing to take a chance and find out later that he thought her tainted.

"I don't want you to," Ashley said finally. She swallowed, trying not to look at his face. "I'm sorry, Andros, but that's the way it has to be."

"If that's what you want, Ash," Andros whispererd, his eyes filling with tears. He blinked a few times, letting them fall as he stared at Ashley for a long time. His mouth opened, and for a second, Ashley thought he was going to say something else, but then he turned slowly and left, his shoulders slumped forward.

"I'm so sorry, Andros," Ashley whispered. Taking a deep breath, she forced a smile and turned to Tawny, who was engrossing herself with her stuffed animals and their tea party. "Move over, sweetie."

She could cry later.


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer:** Power Rangers... not mine. Andros... not mine... darn.

_**Chylea3784:** Soon, yes, but not quite yet._

_**Jenny:** Yay, you're alive! And working on our story! Keep doing that._

_**Ashley Hammond/Astro Yellow:** Okay._

_**PinkRanger4Evr:** Ashley had a lot of suppressed memories that broke free when she was telling Andros her story, and that made her scared to have anyone near her. And at the end, she broke up with him because she doesn't want him to wait for her because she's afraid he'll change his mind._

Chapter 8

"Dammit, Andros, let me in!"

Andros rolled over in bed, drawing the sheet up over his head with one arm, as if the thin cloth would somehow block out Zhane's voice on the other side of the door. He didn't bother to form a reply; didn't even bother to yell at his friend to go away and leave him the hell alone. That tactic had stopped working about ten days ago.

He heard Zhane swearing profusely at Deca, demanding the personal access codes for the door. Andros almost laughed, knowing that Deca would never give them up. Why couldn't Zhane just see that going through the trouble of changing the access codes to his room meant that he wanted to be left completely and utterly alone?

"Andros?"

Karone sounded much gentler than Zhane, and Andros was almost tempted to let her in, but once she was in, then what? How was he supposed to explain the fact that he'd been holed up in his room for two weeks? He couldn't very well tell her the truth. He'd sworn to Ashley that he wouldn't.

"Andros, let me in."

Karone's voice, while still gentle, was much firmer now, and Andros knew that it was only a matter of time before she was fed up with him enough to break down the door and force her way in.

"Deca, let her in," he mumbled reluctantly.

"**Thank** you," Zhane said vehemently, barging in past Karone. "We were starting to think..."

"Andros, what's wrong?"

Andros neither answered nor looked up, but he felt the mattress sink as Karone sat down next to him, laying a hand on his shoulder. He knew that Zhane was hovering over him on his other side, and didn't much care. All he wanted was for them to go away, and leave him with his misery.

"Someone better tell me what's going on here!" Zhane exclaimed, pacing back and forth as he watched his best friend lie motionlessly on his bed. "We knock on your door, you tell us to leave you alone. We knock on Ashley's door, she doesn't even answer. Andros-"

"You've talked to Ashley?"

Andros's voice was hoarse from disuse, and completely hollow. Zhane and Karone exchanged troubled glances before Karone tapped him hard on the side of the head, grimacing at how greasy his hair was. Andros groaned and tried to burrow down into the mattress itself, but met only with resistence. Karone grabbed the end of the sheet and tugged it loose from his grasp.

"Sit up."

Her brother only shook his head, his eyes shut tight. Karone sighed heavily before seizing him by the shoulders and hauling him forward into a sitting position. Even then Andros made no move to support himself, and his head fell forward, lolling against Karone's shoulder.

"Sit **up**," Karone repeated, her voice now devoid of all sympathy. Andros realized then that she'd tricked him into opening the door, and he tried to be angry, but he couldn't feel anything more than an aching numbness where his heart had once been.

He did as he was told, oddly grateful to his sister for the order. It was a welcome respite from his thoughts, which ran in unending circles for all hours of the day and most hours of the night. He even opened his eyes, although he kept them trained steadily on his lap.

"That's better," Karone said, relief creeping into her voice despite her best efforts to do otherwise. "Now... what's wrong?"

"Nothing."

Karone rolled her eyes. "What's wrong with Ashley?"

Andros's head shot up so quickly that Karone reared back. Her brother's eyes were empty and listless, as though his soul had been torn away from him. "Ashley?"

"She's worse off than you are," Zhane said, laying a hand on his arm. "Cassie was trying to get her to open her door for hours, but Ashley's never even answered, not once in two weeks. Andros, what's going on?"

Andros was silent for a long time, and Zhane was about to storm away in frustration when Andros lowered his head again, his eyes flooding with tears that he didn't have the energy to blink back. Without a word, Karone wrapped her arms around her brother, rocking him back and forth as sobs wracked his body, while Zhane stood back, watching them awkwardly. He was all for comforting his best friend, but in twelve years, he'd seen Andros shed only a few tears, as he'd gazed down sadly at Karone's lifeless body.

"Ashley... Ashley broke up with me," Andros whispered, his face pressed against Karone's shoulder.

"It's all right," she whispered back. Zhane could see the shock that resonated in her eyes, but her first instinct was to comfort Andros, and to interrogate him later. "It's all right... when was the last time you got out of bed?"

He shrugged miserably, rubbing his eyes with a filthy sleeve. "Two days ago?"

"Come on," Karone urged, tugging on his arm. "Up."

Slowly, Andros climbed out of bed, balancing unsteadily on legs that hadn't supported him for two weeks. He was still dressed in the same jeans and red sweatshirt that he'd been wearing the day that Ashley had taken him by the hand and led him to her house.

"See, that wasn't so hard, was it?" Karone said encouragingly. Andros shook his head, hoping that if he gave her some kind of a positive result, she'd leave him alone to hide in the pitch blackness of his dank room. No such luck; Karone immediately propelled him into the bathroom, ordering him to shower while she and Zhane brought him some food from the Synthetron.

He caught a glance of himself in the mirror as he turned on the water, and had to admit that he looked awful. His hair was matted and stringy, falling limply to his shoulders, and his face was red and blotchy from crying. His hazel eyes were red-rimmed and as dull as he felt.

Andros took as long of a shower as he could without having Karone send Zhane to check that he hadn't drowned himself, wondering what he was supposed to tell them. He'd already told them that Ashley had broken up with him, and he needed to come up with a story that wouldn't send them to Ashley, asking for her version. He loved her too much to trick her into telling her story another time, when she hadn't truly been prepared to tell him.

Unable to come up with anything, he stepped out of the shower, not realizing until the air hit him that the water had been scalding hot. He didn't care. Drying himself off, he dressed in the clothes that someone- Karone, no doubt- had dumped onto the toiled seat.

Andros took another look at himself in the mirror before he walked slowly out of the room, his head still hanging, and he looked much better. Only his eyes now held any hint that he was deeply troubled. They were still empty, showing the world how shattered he was without her.

"Feel better?" Karone asked kindly. Andros nodded dumbly, still wishing that they would leave him alone to hide. "Now... what happened?"

"Ashley broke up with me," Andros mumbled as he sank down onto his bed. He could tell from the feel of the sheets that they had been changed, and he had no sooner sat down than a tray was forced into his hands, Karone ordering him to eat as he talked. Andros stared at the tray, feeling nauseous. Showering he could do, eating he could not.

"Why?"

Andros shook his head, not seeing the looks they exchanged over his head, and if he had, he wouldn't have cared. He'd promised Ashley that he would never reveal her secret, and he had no intentions of breaking that promise.

"Aw, come on, man, it can't be that bad, can it?"

Andros's response was to glare venomously at his best friend. "It's none of your business."

Karone's eyebrows arched in surprise. Thirty seconds before, Andros had been on the verge of tears for a second time, yet here he was now, his voice icy cold. She sighed. It was obvious that they weren't going to get a story out of him.

"We'll leave you alone," she offered, "if you promise to eat."

Andros stared at his food, now cooling off and becoming sickeningly greasy. "I'll try," he said weakly.

"That's all we want."

Sighing again, Karone took Zhane by the elbow, and dragged him out of the room, not seeing Andros already curling up on his bed. "What do you think?"

"That he knows," Zhane replied instantly. "Whatever's keeping Ashley in her room, he knows what it is, and we're not going to get it out of him."

"What'd you think could have happened?" Karone asked him, her voice low as she cast a furtive glance at Ashley's closed door. "They love each other... or at least, they loved each other."

"Andros is hopelessly in love," Zhane assured her. "Now, all we have to do is convince Ash to tell us what happened, and then we can start scheming."

"I'm not sure about this," Karone said anxiously, as they started off towards the holding bay. "If it was something stupid, I think we could've gotten it out of him. Zhane, it seems like there's something really wrong going on here."

"Nah," Zhane said airily. "I think Andros is just too embarrassed to tell us why he got dumped."

"Are you sure?" Karone fixed him with her piercing cerulean blue eyes. "You know him better than I do, but... there's something else going on here."

"I'm pretty sure," Zhane said slowly as they entered the holding bay, where their former teammates had congregated. A hint of uncertainty crossed his otherwise confident face. "But, let's just assume for a second that you're right... then whatever it is would have to be huge... "

"So what's up?" TJ asked them. He was dressed in his blue warm-up suit, and looked like he was ready to hit the Simudecks with Carlos and Cassie, who were dressed in a similar fashion. "Did Andros crack?"

Zhane shook his head. "Nope."

"And I somehow don't think he will," Karone said, looking thoughtful. "You should have seen him. He was pretty pitiful, and then when Zhane asked about Ashley, his voice turned cold so fast..."

"At least you got him to open the door," Carlos sighed. "Ashley's still ignoring us. If Deca didn't swear that she was still on the Megaship, I'd think she was at home or something."

"Break down the door," Zhane suggested. "I'll do it."

"Maybe we should leave them alone," Cassie said hesitantly. "I know that they're our friends, but maybe all they need is some space..."

Zhane shook his head emphatically. "You guys didn't see Andros. Poor guy looked pathetic..."

"So you guys don't think this will all just blow over if we give them time?" Cassie asked. Zhane and Carlos shook their heads immediately, while Karone and TJ shrugged helplessly.

"Did Andros say **anything?**" TJ asked. "The last time I saw him was that night at dinner, and..."

He gave a low whistle, as Cassie and Karone nodded their heads.

"Well..." Karone said hesitantly, not sure if it was really her place to be saying anything at all. "He said that Ashley broke up with him."

"Not the other way around?" Carlos said in surprise. "Wow. I mean, if I was going to have to pick a reason for them to split up, I'd have said that Andros got scared, and flipped... You guys don't think he cheated on her, do you?"

"Andros cheat on Ashley?" TJ was wondering if he'd heard right. "Somehow, I don't think that's it."

"I agree," Cassie said, twirling a few strand of her long raven hair between her fingers anxiously. "If that was it, Ashley would have been in here crying on our shoulders, not making her room into a fortress."

"You know," TJ said thoughtfully, "even if we don't get them back together, we should at least get Ash out of her room. Most of you know her better than I do, but I do at least know that a stunt like this isn't Ashley's style."

"Yeah," Cassie said, looking slightly abashed. _How'd I forget about **that?** She's my best friend..._

"It's all right," TJ said softly, and Cassie glanced at him out from under her eyelids in surprise, not wanting him to see her staring at him. _How does he know?_

"So we're back to breaking down the door?"

"Zhane, maybe you should go with her," Carlos suggested, shooting an anxious look at Karone, not wanting her to misunderstand. "Ashley might respond to you more..."

He stopped talking, still looking uncomfortably at Karone, who to his surprise, nodded her agreement. "I think Ashley sees you as a sort of brother figure," she said, her tone contemplative. "More than a friend, but definately not a potential boyfriend. She might let you in... Besides," she added with a wry smile, "if Andros sees you anywhere near her, he might be less inclined to keep you away from me."

"Good enough for me," Zhane said brightly, and Astroblaster soaring into his hand from across the room. TJ gave him a skeptical look. "I was serious about breaking down the door, you know."

Karone reached out and plucked the weapon from his grasp. "If you shoot at Ashley, what do you think is going to happen?"

"I won't be shooting at her," Zhane protested. Karone laughed.

"Trust me, Andros is not going to see it that way."

"Fine," Zhane said with a disappointed sigh. "Come on, Cass."

Cassie hopped down from the table she'd been perched on, casting a backwards glance at TJ as she did so. He didn't seem to be watching her, or at least not her specifically, but somehow, she could feel his eyes on her. She shrugged it off; she could sort out her feelings later.

Right now she had Ashley to worry about.


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer:** As far as I know, I have no blood connections to either Saban or Disney, so there's absolutely no way I own Power Rangers.

_**Chylea3784:** I'm trying... so how'd I do:P_

Chapter 9

_"You!" _

_She ran, fleeing, but he had always been faster, and in mere seconds he had overtaken her. Cornered, she shrank back, sinking to the floor, drawing her knees up to her chin as he towered over her. _

_"So you thought you could escape me?" he sneered._

_"N-no," she whimpered, cringing as he reached for her. With lightning-fast speed, his hand had closed around her wrist, and yanked her back up. She struggled, knowing what came next, and tore herself free. Wildly, she sprinted down the long corridor, only to find him blocking her only exit. _

_"You should never have left home," he said calmly as he advanced on her. "It will only go worse for you now."_

_"No," she whispered again, backing away. "Please... don't..."_

_She shrieked as he grabbed for her again, and struggled hard. She was strong, but he was stronger, and simply waited patiently until she was to exhausted to fight back any longer. Picking her up roughly, he hauled her down the hall into her room, throwing her down hard. _

_Her head connected hard with the headboard, and she cried out in pain, moaning as the first wave of pain faded and she tried to move her head. Stars filled her vision, and her head began pounding worse than it already had been. _

_She began fighting with renewed terror as his hands moved up her torso, but she was pinned down and had nowhere to run to even if she could get away. He laughed, catching ahold of both her hands in one of his. His hands were icy cold on her skin, erasing the warmth that she had once known. She tried desperately to will herself away from the world, knowing that if he made her feel what came next, it would shatter her._

Ashley shot up in her sleep, her chest heaving as she gasped in air, trembling with uncontrollable fear. Ever since she had moved back to the Megaship, she was plagued with this nightmare everytime she closed her eyes. Every time she tried to sleep, she saw a little more; the universe itself taunting her, dragging out her anguish for as long as it possibly could.

She slipped out of bed, careful not to wake Tawny, who was fast asleep beside her. Drawing the covers back up over her peacefully resting daughter, Ashley padded quietly into the bathroom, splashing cold water onto her face before sinking down onto the floor, exhausted.

"Deca, what time is it?" she asked.

"It is three seventeen in the afternoon," Deca replied, and Ashley sighed heavily. She couldn't leave her room until at least midnight, and she didn't dare be out in the corridors past four in the morning, for fear that someone would wake up early. So far, she'd left her room long enough to run down to the holding bay to get food for herself and Tawny, and then put back the empty plates when they were done eating.

Ashley knew that it wasn't practical to keep herself and Tawny locked up, but she wasn't ready to explain her past to her friends. She doubted that she would ever be, but she was going to have to, and sometime soon. So far, Tawny was content to stay in the room during the day, but Ashley knew that soon her adventurous nature would compel her to ask what lay beyond the closed doors.

She suddenly became aware of voices on the other end of the door, voices seeking her out, and Ashley let her face fall forward to rest in her hands as she listened. Zhane and Cassie were there, pleading with her to open the door, saying that they knew, that they'd talked to Andros.

White-hot rage bubbled up within Ashley's soul. He'd promised her that he wouldn't tell. He'd promised her twice, once before he knew, and then after he'd seen Tawny, he'd sworn to her again that he would never tell anyone what she told him. But he had. He must have, or else Cassie and Zhane wouldn't be there at her door, demanding to be let in so that they could all talk.

"How dare he?" Ashley hissed, nearly blinded with fury. Later, the anger would fade to reveal the pangs of sadness and betrayal that would send her spiraling back down into the depths of depression, but while she was still capable of anger, she was going to act on it.

Leaping to her feet, Ashley stormed out of the bathroom, and crossed her room in three strides. "Deca, open the door," she snapped, ignoring the looks of startled surprise on Zhane and Cassie's faces as she pushed past them, stalking over to Andros's closed door. "Open the door!"

It slid open instantly, and Ashley entered, completely lost in the darkness. The lights swelled a moment later, to reveal Andros sitting on his bunk, staring at her quizzically. "Ash?"

"I thought I could trust you," Ashley shouted at him, as he stared back, uncomprehending. "I thought you weren't that low. Why did you do it?"

"Ash-"

"Was it to get back at me for breaking up with you? I didn't do that because I wanted to, I did it because I had to, but when you go and do something like this, then I -"

"Ashley," Andros said loudly, and the words died in her throat. Andros was staring at her, looking completely lost. "What did I do?"

"You mean you didn't..."

"Ash?" Andros said after a moment, growing alarmed as Ashley stared at him, her chocolate eyes wide and wild. "What's wrong?"

"You mean you didn't tell anyone what happened?" Ashley asked him, her voice much meeker now.

"I'd never do that, Ash," Andros said softly. His face remained expressionless, but he had long ago forgotten how to keep his eyes from betraying his true feelings.

"Then why are Cassie and Zhane standing outside my door saying that you told them what happened?"

"I told them that you broke up with me," Andros mumbled, the words infinitely harder to say with her in the same room as him, only a few feet away. "That's all."

Ashley stared into his hazel eyes for a long time, seeing all the hurt that he hadn't managed to hide from her, and knew that he wasn't lying to her. She felt all her anger fizzle away and die, shame taking its place. Andros would never have betrayed her. _I should have known that,_ she thought, feeling fear slowly creep up on her as she realized how close she was to him.

Andros watched several emotions flash across Ashley's face, feeling his heart breaking all over again. He knew it wasn't really important anymore, but it hurt to have Ashley doubt him. Andros swallowed hard, not wanting her to see him cry.

"I... I'm sorry," Ashley whispered, her head hanging low. "I didn't mean to..."

Her eyes wet with tears that wouldn't fall, Ashley slunk slowly out of Andors's dark room, feeling his sad hazel eyes on her retreating back. She sighed, more than willing to lock herself up for another two weeks and never have to deal with any of her friends. However, as she stepped into the corridor, Ashley found herself face-to-face with Zhane and Cassie.

"Oh," she said flatly, edging towards Cassie, although she didn't fear being around Zhane as she did with Andros. "You."

"Ash, we just wanted to talk to you," Cassie began, alarmed at the look in her best friend's eyes. "We're worried about you."

"I can't talk right now," Ashley muttered, desperately trying to inch close enough to her door to dart inside. "Later."

"Ash," Zhane began, and then stopped cold, his voice trailing off into nothingness as he looked past Ashley into her room. Cassie followed his gaze, her eyes landing on the little girl asleep in Ashley's bed.

Ashley didn't need to turn around to know that they'd seen Tawny. Her face crumpling, she sank down to the ground, drawing her knees up to her chin, burying her face in her arms as Cassie dropped down beside her, wrapping both arms around her distraught friend.

"Ash, just tell us what's wrong," Cassie pleaded as Ashley sobbed her heart out. "Everything will be okay, I promise."

"No, it won't," Ashley wailed, the words barely comprehensible. "I've lied to you all for so long, and now you'll all hate me."

"Ash, you're the last person on Earth that we'd hate," Cassie said soothingly, once Ashley had calmed down enough to listen.

"I can't tell it again," Ashley whispered, wiping her eyes with the heel of her palm. "It was too much to tell just Andros, and there's five of you guys."

"You don't have to tell us anything you don't want to," Cassie said as Zhane nooded his agreement, "but Ash, we'd never judge you."

"It's not what you think," Ashley cried, interpreting Cassie's words to fit her frame of mind, instead of taking them as what they were: the truth. "I - I didn't..."

"It's all right, Ashley," Zhane said softly from off to the side. While he had completely missed the fact that there was something more than the breakup troubling Andros, he had perceived correctly that his presence was disturbing Ashley. "But you can't keep that little girl cooped up in there forever."

"Her name's Tawny," Ashley whispered.

"Would you like for one of us to take her for awhile?" Cassie asked. Ashley shook her head.

"Not now," she muttered. "She'll be asleep for awhile, and if I'm going to tell you guys, it better be now before I change my mind."

Ashley knew that she couldn't avoid telling her story to her friends any longer, not now that Zhane and Cassie had seen Tawny, and while it was encouraging that they hadn't discounted her as a friend, she wasn't sure that the others would react the same way. She wasn't even sure that Zhane and Cassie knew that Tawny was her daughter, not her sister, as Andros had first assumed.

"Is she all right here alone?" Zhane asked as Cassie helped Ashley to her feet, wrapping a comforting arm around her shoulders.

Ashley hesitated. Deca was more than capable of alerting her if something went wrong, but that didn't mean that she would be able to get to her in time if Tawny got herself into the bathroom cabinet, or drowned herself somehow.

"I could watch her," a very soft voice offered hesitantly, and Ashley turned to see Andros standing in his doorway. His eyes were fixed on the floor rather than on her, and she couldn't help feeling enormous gratitude towards him for that.

"You would do that?" Ashley stared at him uncertainly.

Andros nodded his head, his eyes still trained on his feet. "I'd do anything for you, Ash," he said softly. "Besides, I know that you don't want me there when you tell them."

He said the words matter-of-factly, but there was a heavy undertone of sadness in his voice, and it was the sadness more than anything that made Ashley seriously consider what he was saying. "You seriously want to?"

"I don't mind," Andros said quietly, adding, "if you don't."

Ashley hesitated for a long moment, and then slowly nodded, not taking her eyes off of him. "She'll probably sleep for another hour. If she wakes up, she'll make you play."

A hint of a smile formed on Andros's otherwise forlorn face. "I guess I owe her there."

"I... thanks," Ashley said awkwardly.

"Don't worry about it," Andros said softly, waiting until Ashley had walked down the corridor before stepping out of his room. _What did I just do?_

Whatever it was that he had just done, it certainly wasn't going to help him get over Ashley any faster... but he didn't **want** to get over Ashley. He didn't want to go back to being the arrogant, cold, unfeeling shell that he had been before Ashley had come into his life and broken through to the scarred and broken soul that he had kept locked up for far too long, the only way he knew of to preserve his sanity.

Letting out a deep breath that he hadn't realized he was holding, Andros walked quietly into the room adjacent to his, where he found Tawny curled up in Ashley's bed. She was a beautiful little girl, he had to admit to himself, and from what little he had seen of her, she reminded him of her mother.

Andros settled himself on the floor, waiting for her to wake up, and wondering what the hell he was supposed to do when she did.


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer:** Power Rangers... Disney. Story... mine.

_**Ashley Hammond/Astro Yellow:** Yay, you remembered to review! Of course Andros is too loyal for that! That and he's hopelessly in love with her. :P Sleepwalking can be fun, but I'm guessing that's not the kind of sleepwalking you were doing. I'll talk to ya when you're awake, then. I had an idea for a sequel to Three Little Words, and for a prequel too, so we'll see... _

Chapter 10

Ashley took a deep breath, willing herself not to cry as she sat at one of the tables in the holding bay meeting the accusing eyes of her best friends, all waiting to hear the cause of her self-imposed exile. Cassie laid a sympathic hand on her arm, silently encouraging her. She tried to force a weak smile back at her, but doubted that the gesture fully formed on her pale face.

"I..." she began shakily, not wanting to start with "I have a two year old daughter and she's living here with me," but not about to tell them the same tale that she'd told Andros. Finally, she settled for saying, "You guys are my best friends, and I know that this is going to shock you, and I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier."

"Tell us what, Ash?" Carlos finally asked, when a pause for breath became a five minute long uneasy pause.

"When I was fifteen, I was raped," she spat out in a rush, before the words could slip away from her again. She opened her mouth to continue, but the utter silence of her audience prompted her to look up to be sure that she'd actually said the words, and that they'd heard them. The five stricken faces staring back at her told her that they had.

They didn't look angry with her, and that was encouraging, but they didn't know all of it yet. Taking a deep breath, Ashley plowed forward. "I... I had a baby."

"What?" Carlos asked before he could help himself. "A baby?"

Ashley winced, and nodded. "I kept her, against my mother's wishes, and she's two years old now."

"Ash, you don't need to-" Karone started to say, but Ashley cut her off with a shake of the head.

"I have to get it all out," she mumbled. "I hated lying to you guys, but I... I was so afraid..."

"Why didn't you just tell us?" Carlos asked, in as gentle a tone as he could manage. He wasn't angry, exactly, but stunned that Ashley would and could keep something so huge from them for so long.

Ashley shrugged miserably. "I wouldn't let myself hope that you'd all still care about me. If I should have, I'm sorry, but I... I didn't want you to think that I was weak."

"We'd never think that," Carlos said quickly. Ashley let her face fall forward into her hands, unable to look at any of them. Cassie and TJ gave Carlos warning glares. He took the hint and shut up, realizing that he might be overdoing it.

Ashley flinched when she felt a hand on her arm, and lifted her eyes to meet TJ's. The former blue ranger quickly removed his hand from her, and gave her an apologetic look before saying, "Ash, it's not weakness. When bad stuff happens, you do what you need to do to protect yourself and stay alive."

"I know that," Ashley admitted. "But when I see you guys, I just..."

"Our lives aren't perfect," Cassie was quick to assure her. "We've all got some secrets. I'll tell you mine, if it'd make you feel better."

Ashley felt a wan smile on her face, probably the first in weeks. "Thanks, Cass, but you don't have to..."

"I know," Cassie said. "But you're not alone, Ash. There's darkness in all our lives."

"That's right," TJ was quick to agree. "We've all got stuff we're afraid to trust other people with."

"My parents were drunks," Cassie admitted. "Some of my earliest memories are of them screaming at each other. My mother got violent when she was angry, and after awhile, my dad couldn't take it anymore. I haven't seen him since I was three."

Ashley's eyes widened as she stared at her best friend. "I had no idea it was that bad for you."

Cassie shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly. "It's no big deal anymore." She paused. "This is going to sound really awful, Ash, but it's supposed to be a good thing. Knowing what happened to you, I feel more comfortable around you, because... I'm saying it badly, but do you get it?"

"Yeah," Ashley whispered, hugging Cassie, starting to cry again. "I do, and I'm really sorry. I should have trusted you of all people."

"No, it's okay, Ash," Cassie said, tears forming in her own eyes. "You've got enough to worry about without blaming yourself for something that doesn't matter."

"Thank you," Ashley whispered through her tears, squeezing the other girl hard before stepping back.

"My parents were murdered," TJ said quietly, following Cassie's lead. "I was five years old when it happened, and I was just in the kitchen with my parents, eating dinner. I heard a car outside, and then the next thing I knew, there was window glass everywhere, and my left shoulder was hurting worse than anything I'd ever felt before. We never knew why. This wasn't the kind of neighborhood where you here sirens every night. It was just..."

He couldn't think of the right word to complete his sentence, and finished with a shake of his head. With his right hand, he rolled up the left sleeve of his T-shirt for them all to see the circular scar on his shoulder. Cassie shuddered slightly, thinking of how close he had come to dying.

"I was Astronema," Karone said softy. "You guys all know that, but I'm the one who has to live with it. I grew up laughing at other people's pain, and when I was old enough, I helped cause it. Turning good in the end doesn't make it better for those people, the ones that are dead, the ones whose families and friends are dead."

"My twin brother died right before KO-35 was invaded." Zhane's voice was uncharacteristically subdued. "We were in the same hover, and I was the one driving. There was this tree... I didn't see it... Zeph died instantly."

"Thanks, you guys," Ashley whispered. Hearing her friends stories did nothing to lessen her own pain, but Cassie was right. She felt closer to them now, knowing that they had all experienced their own tribulations.

"Don't worry about it, Ash," Cassie said. "We should have let all this out a long time ago."

"I think we could use a break from all this misery," TJ put in. "When do we get to meet this little girl of yours, Ash?"

Ashley stared at him uncertainly. "You guys really want to meet her?"

"Of course we do," Karone exclaimed.

"Yeah, go get her, Ash," Carlos encouraged her. Ashley gave him a long look, the fact that he had been the only one not to recount some incident not escaping her notice. She knew he was feeling betrayed, thinking that after being as close as they were, he would have no idea. It was ridiculous, really. She was, or had been, much closer to Andros, and he hadn't reacted so childishly.

"I'll go see if she's awake," Ashley said finally. "If you guys are sure."

"We're sure," Zhane said firmly. "Now, go get that girl so she can come meet all the aunts and uncles who are going to spoil her rotten."

A small but genuine smile appeared on Ashley's face, and she gave a watery laugh, wiping the remaining tears from her eyes. "Wait here," she said, and hurried out of the room, a great weight lifted from her heart.

When she got to her room, she was startled to see Andros sitting cross-legged on her bed, a bemused expression on his face as he watched Tawny, who was arranging her stuffed animals in a circle on the floor. As she did so, she was explaining to him with an air of exaggerated patience why they went in the order that they did. Ashley stopped still in the doorway, wanting to watch.

"No," Ashley heard her say clearly. "Panda **not** be next to Fluffy. Panda **eat **her!"

"But panda bears don't eat dogs," Andros protested.

"They do too!"

"Okay," Andros agreed quickly. "They do."

"They do not!"

"But you just said that they didn't!"

"I did not!"

Ashley bit back the sudden urge to laugh, and stepped into the room. The instant Andros saw her, his smile became considerably more strained, and he stared down at his hands.

"Did you tell them?" he asked softly.

"Yeah," Ashley said, as Tawny ran to her, grabbing her around the legs. "But I left the important parts out. I didn't tell them who her father is."

She said the words quickly, not wanting to start crying again, at least not in front of him. Andros nodded, still not quite looking at her.

"I won't say anything," he promised.

"Thanks," Ashley whispered, remembering how she had accused him earlier. Suddenly, she found herself wondering if she hadn't made a huge mistake. Swallowing hard, she bent to pick up her daughter, who was now hugging Fluffy the dog to her, looking like she was considering another nap.

"No," Tawny whined, struggling against Ashley's arms. "Down."

"You'll have to walk, then, sweetie," Ashley warned her, quickly returning the squirming little girl to the floor. "There's some people who want to play with you. They might even give you ice cream."

"I don't wanna go."

"You don't want ice cream?" Andros cut in before Ashley could respond.

"I do too!" Tawny stuck her tongue out at him. Andros looked startled, and frowned for a moment before mimicking her. Tawny laughed delightedly at him, and Ashley found herself now wanting to cry more than ever.

"Come on, then," she said, tugging on the little girl's arm. Tawny stuck her tongue out at Andros again as Ashley led her out of the room. He stood, and followed Ashley and Tawny out of the room, watching them walk hand in hand down the corridor before sighing heavily, and returning to his own room.

Ashley could feel Andros's eyes on her as she led Tawny to the holding bay, and she turned abruptly, thinking that maybe she could meet those eyes now, but when she glanced over her shoulder, Andros was nowhere to be seen.

_Stop **thinking** about him. He was only being nice. Andros doesn't love you. You don't love Andros. It's over with. Concentrate on Tawny and your friends now._

But she did love Andros. And maybe...

Ashley sighed gratefully when she reached the holding bay, now having something to distract her from her thoughts. She knew what conclusion she would eventually arrive at, but she didn't want to get there just yet. She couldn't handle that, not now.

"Hey, everybody," she said softly. The former rangers all fell silent when she entered, waiting for her to continue. "Everyone, this is - this is Tawny. Tawny, this is Cassie, and TJ, and Carlos, and Karone, and Zhane."

"Why am I always last?" the blond boy grumbled, the little girl in front of him finding his expression extremely amusing.

Karone laughed. "You don't want to spend too much time with Zhane, Tawny. **I** can do magic. **Real** magic."

"Magic?" Tawny's eyes lit up. "Wanna see!"

Karone smiled smugly as Zhane pouted. "Then come here!"

"Mommy?"

"Go on, sweetie," Ashley said, pushing her daughter towards Karone. There was a mischievous glint in the blond girl's eyes.

"Okay, let's see..." Karone said thoughtfully. "What do you want more than anything else in the world?"

"Pony!" Tawny shrieked instantly.

"Uh..." Karone glanced at Ashley, who winced, and shrugged. Karone laughed, mouthing, "Sorry!" before turning back to Tawny. "What color pony?"

"Yellowredbluegreenpinkwhitesparkle-"

"That's plenty," Karone broke in. "This is a special pony, okay? Since he's magic, he can't stay in this world for very long. He has to go back to... um, Magicland."

"Okay," Tawny agreed. "But pony **my** pony?"

"For the next five minutes he is... Do you want a talking pony?"

"Talking pony!" Tawny shouted immediately. By now, even Carlos was smiling reluctantly. Karone swept the tables out of the way with a wave of her hand and the others stepped back to allow her plenty of room. Seconds later, Tawny was deep in conversation with a multicolored creature that couldn't possibly be a pony, but the girl neither noticed nor cared.

A small smile graced Ashley's face as she watched her daughter, feeling more hopeful than she had in years. Somehow, everything was going to be all right from now on. Silently, Ashley repeated to herself the vow that she had made when she'd realized that she was pregnant. No matter what it cost her, Tawny was going to grow up happy, and innocent, knowing that her mother loved her.

"Mommy, come talk to Pony," Tawny cried. "Mommy!"

"I'm coming, sweetie," Ashley said, finding it much easier to force a smile to her face when she was surrounded by people she loved.


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer:** Nothing here is really mine... yet.

_**Chylea3784:** Thanks. Here's some more._

_**Ashley Hammond/Astro Yellow:** It's all right you didn't babble, it's enough that you remembered to review. :P I'll write more when you do. :P_

_**Jenny:** Wow... : blinks: I think by now I automatically put red and yellow together, but I'm still not quite sure where I got the sparkle from... Yay, you're writing again! And you and Marieke both remembered to review! Now get back to writing:P_

Chapter 11

"Andros?"

"Come in," Andros called reluctantly. He was no longer hibernating, as he had been the day before, but he wasn't exactly in a particularly cheery mood, either. He grew even less cheery when the door opened, and instead of just Karone, the entire team, minus Ashley, filed into his room. "What now?"

"We just thought we'd come see how you were doing," Zhane said in a tone of near perfect compassion.

Andros raised an eyebrow at him, and shrugged. "I'm fine. You guys can go now."

"Okay, so that's not really why we're here," Zhane admitted with a sheepish smile that was met by a glare.

"I'm not talking about Ashley," Andros said in a tone that left absolutely no room for argument.

"We don't want you to talk **about** her," TJ said. "We want you to talk **to** her."

"I can't do that," Andros replied tonelessly. He sighed. "Look, I know most of you guys mean well, but Ashley doesn't want anything to do with me."

"Andros, she does," Cassie insisted.

"No," Andros said firmly. "Listen, if Zhane comes up with some crazy scheme to get us back together, just laugh about it and then forget it. Ashley told me that she didn't want to be with me, and if you guys try to force us, you'll just end up hurting her more than she already is."

"And you're okay with that?"

"Of course I'm not," Andros exclaimed, trying as hard as he could to be angry, to dam the tears threatening to flood his eyes. "I'd rather be with her. But it's not what she wants, and I... I have to live with that."

"You're taking it pretty calmly," Carlos remarked. By this point, Andros had had enough.

"Ashley did tell you what happened to her, didn't she?" he snapped, glaring around the room at his friends. "It might have happened almost three years ago, but it didn't really sink in for her until she was telling me what happened. You guys are her **friends.** Don't be so cruel. Don't hurt her."

By the end of his little speech, Andros's voice had slipped into a pleading, plantive tone, and despite his best effort to hide it, he was on the verge of tears. Karone sighed, and touched his shoulder gently.

"That's not what we're trying to do," she said softly. "We just needed to be sure of how you felt."

"Why?" Andros demanded. "It's none of your business."

"Because Ashley needs you," Cassie told him quietly.

"Ashley doesn't want me around," Andros replied, unable to meet her eyes, unable to meet anyone's eyes. "I told you."

"That doesn't mean she doesn't need you," Cassie sighed. "Look, just hear us out, all right? Then we'll go, and you can make up your own mind."

"Fine," Andros agreed through grit teeth. "But hurry up."

"We know that Ashley didn't tell us everything," Cassie said. Andros opened his mouth, and she quickly added, "She doesn't have to tell us. But she told you."

"Yes," Andros admitted quietly. "She did. What's the point?"

"Karone and I were with her in her room last night. Her cell phone kept ringing. It was her brother Jeff, but she wouldn't answer. I know how close Jeff is to her, and she was telling us how much he helped her out with Tawny. Andros, we saw the messages on her phone. Jeff's tried to call her at least two hundred times, but she's never answered."

"What do I have to do with all this?"

"Andros, she's scared," Karone said. "She knows her brother is worried about her, but she's too scared even to talk to him. She's too scared to talk to anyone, except maybe you."

"Karone, she's scared of me too," Andros pointed out much more calmly than he felt. "I can't even be in the same room as her without scaring her half to death."

"She didn't seem to have a problem storming in here to scream at you," Zhane said. Andros shot his friend a sharp glare; for a moment, he thought Zhane might have been laughing.

"Could you at least **try** to talk to her?" Cassie pleaded. "Andros, Ashley trusts you more than anyone. She needs someone that she trusts."

Andros sighed. "I can try."

"Thank you," Cassie said, satisfied. "We'll get out of your room now."

Andros glared after them as they trooped out of his room, uneasy in the sudden emptiness. Ashley needed someone, true enough, but **why** did it have to be him? He could hide behind the mask he had worn for so many years only in front of everyone else; Ashley would read right through him, as she had always been able to do. If he was around her long enough, he knew he wasn't going to be able to hide how he truly felt about her. If he hurt her, even without meaning to, he wouldn't be able to live with himself.

But... this was a chance to be with Ashley again, even if it wasn't as her boyfriend. And Andros very much wanted that chance.

"Deca, is Ashley awake?"

"She is," Deca replied. Andros sighed heavily and stood up. This was a bad idea, this was a stupid idea, he was only going to hurt the both of them more than they were already hurting... and half of him didn't care.

"Ashley?" he called softly, rapping on her door with his knuckles. "Can I talk to you?"

"What do you want?" Ashley's answer was hesitant and more than a little wary. He supposed he couldn't blame her much for that.

"To talk to you," he repeated. If the door opened at all, he was expecting to see Ashley huddled on her bunk, much as she had been the night that she'd broken up with him, and his surprise showed on his face when Ashley herself opened the door.

"You can come in," she said quietly, her eyes focued on the wall directly behind him as opposed to him, but she was in a much better state than she had been in the last time he'd seen her.

He saw her tense as he stepped forward, and stopped, giving her time to retreat a little more before he entered the room. He looked around awkwardly for a few moments before sitting down on the floor, his back against the wall. He saw Tawny asleep on Ashley's bunk again, and smiled slightly.

"I'd never hurt you, you know," he said softly, half without meaning to.

Ashley just nodded mutely, at a complete loss for words. **Why** was he here? To taunt her? He had to know what he was doing to her.

"You said you wanted to talk," she said finally, coming closer to meeting his gaze, but still not quite looking at him.

"Right," Andros said uneasily. "I just wanted to see if you were okay."

Ashley was sorely tempted to kick him out just for that, but there was something in his face that made her unable to do that. A second later it was gone, and Ashley wondered if it had even been there at all, or if she was just remembering the way he used to look at her.

"I don't know," she answered him honestly, sitting down slowly, not wanting Tawny to wake, at least not while Andros was still in her room. "Are you?"

Andros looked startled at the question, and he turned his head as far away from her as he could without making it look like he had done it on purpose. Ashley bit her lip; she hadn't meant to ask him that, and she half hoped he wouldn't answer. The other half of her needed to know.

"Do you want the truth?" Andros asked softly after a long silence. He met her eyes before she could look away, and Ashley saw for the first time how torn he was.

"Yeah." Ashley nodded, unable to tear her eyes away from his. "I do."

Andros sighed. "I miss you," he told her, his voice still deceptively calm and quiet. "I can't just stop caring about you."

"I miss you too," Ashley admitted. Andros cast his eyes downward at that, not wanting her to see the wild hope that had flashed through him for a few seconds before he managed to quash it. It meant nothing, he told himself.

"Ash?" Ashley's eyes had wandered away, but she looked over at Andros as he said her name, surprised to see the same shy look on his face that he'd had on the day that he had finally managed to spit out a date invitation. "Can we be friends?"

"What?"

Ashley had several ex-boyfriends that she was still 'friends' with, or had been, at least, but Andros couldn't possibly know that. He couldn't possibly know what it meant to be 'friends' with someone you had broken up with, and Ashley realized that he was asking her a legitimate question.

"You want us to be friends?"

Andros nodded his head, his hair falling forward as he did so, making him appear much less intimidating than he had a moment before._ Not that he had looked all that intimidating then, _she thought wryly.

"You don't need a boyfriend right now," he said, deliberately looking away as he spoke, "but maybe you need a friend?"

"Andros..." Ashley stopped speaking, and stared at him, the sad look on his face making her want to cry. "Don't you think that if we were friends that might be sort of uncomfortable for both of us?"

"I know I'm being selfish, Ash," Andros told her earnestly, misinterpreting her question, "and if you never want to see me again, then I'll leave, but I just don't want to lose you completely."

Ashley stared at him dumbly, completely taken aback, just as much by his words as by the revelation that he meant them. She wondered when they had switched roles. Suddenly, she was the one keeping everyone out, and he was begging her to let him in, even for the briefest passing moment. She wondered if this was how he had felt, wanting to say yes more than anything that she could ever remember wanting, but the want almost completely driven away by fear. She wondered what would happen if she said yes, or what would happen if she refused.

But most of all, she wondered what could have possibly been in her head that day that made her throw him away.

"You think you're being selfish?" Ashley finally managed to say.

Andros frowned as he looked up at her. "Aren't I?"

Slowly, Ashley slid off of the bed to sit on the floor, six feet away from him. He wasn't pretending, this wasn't some kind of scheme to win her back. He had absolutely no idea.

"Andros..." she managed to say. Then she lowered her head, tears choking her up too much for her to be able to speak. Ashley drew her knees up to her chin and buried her face in her arms, crying for everything that she had never cried for.

"Ash?" Andros said, alarmed, wondering what he'd done. "Should I leave now?"

Ashley shook her head wildly, not looking up. "Don't go," she sobbed.

"Ash?" Slowly, Andros inched closer to her, until he was sitting directly in front of her. "Did I say something wrong?"

He must have; Ashley started crying harder at his words. He was about to get up and leave despite her earlier words when Ashley looked up, staring at him with her tear-filled brown eyes.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered, hit with a fresh wave of tears before she could say any more. Her heart was aching for him to wrap her in his arms and comfort her, but she knew that he never would, and she couldn't bring herself to ask him to.

"Ash?" Andros asked softly, hesitantly. "Can I... Can I hug you?"

Ashley nodded, practically falling into his arms. "Are you reading my mind?"

"No," he said, startled. "Why?"

"You knew I needed a hug," Ashley explained, trying to wipe her eyes.

"Oh," Andros said, suddenly feeling very awkward.

"I'm sorry," Ashley whispered again, burying her face in his chest, her body nearly convulsing with sobs. Andros didn't know what to say, so he said nothing, and just cradled her in his strong arms.

"Do you want me to stay here with you for awhile?" he asked, feeling Ashley nod her head against him, hearing her crying harder instead of softer.

Ashley felt him shift, settling himself with his back against the side of her bed, and then he lifted her into his lap with surprising ease. She burrowed her face into his neck, letting out years worth of terror and anguish kept inside for far too long. Andros held her wordlessly, simply rocking her back and forth until her breathing evened out, and he began to suspect that she'd cried herself to sleep. Not wanting to disturb her, Andros didn't move, his mind wandering as he watched her sleep.

He loved her more than anything or anyone else, but he seriously doubted that he was ever going to be able to bring himself to tell her that. If this was how she reacted when he only admitted that he missed her, and cared about her, he didn't want to know what he would do to her if he broke down and confessed that he thought he would die without her.

Ashely's body began twitching, and the expression on her face was considerably less peaceful than it had been a minute before. Her entire body began trembling, and she whimpered softly, the small sound enough to convey to him that wherever Ashley was, she was petrified with fear.

"Ash, wake up," he whispered, shaking her gently. "Ash!"

Ashley jerked awake, her breath coming in short gasps. She began trembling harder as she took in her surroundings, and just as Andros was about to release her, he felt her arms around his neck in a stranglehold as she burst into tears.

"It was only a nightmare, Ash," Andros tried to soothe her, but she wasn't listening.

"No," she cried out. "No, it wasn't. I was there, and so was he, and I couldn't run fast enough, and then he caught me..."

"You're safe now," Andros whispered, his hold on her tightening instinctively. "He's not here, Ash."

"Then why do I keep seeing him?" Ashley shouted. "Every time I close my eyes, he's there, waiting for me, and I'll never escape." She paused to take a deep, shuddering breath. "I can't sleep anymore. I see more every time, and if I fall asleep again, then... then..."

"Mommy?"

Ashley twisted away, frantically trying to dry her tears before Tawny could see, but it was too late; the little girl had already spotted her face.

"Mommy?" she asked again, sleepily.

Ashley opened her mouth to force out a reply, but all that came out was a choked wail. Frightened by her mother's tears, Tawny started bawling as well, much more loudly. Ashley reached out and pulled Tawny into her arms, cradling the little girl in much the same way that Andros was cradling her.

It occured to Andros that this could have been comical, if he hadn't felt like crying himself. It also occured to him that as physically uncomfortable as it was to be holding two people on his lap, the feet of one of them digging into his stomach almost painfully, he couldn't think of anywhere else that he would rather be, and more than that, he was feeling strangely content.


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer:** Power Rangers doesn't belong to me... darn.

_**Ashley Hammond/Astro Yellow:** You need cheering up? All right, next time I talk to you, I'll show you the first part of my next story. It's not happy, but it should cheer you up. :P_

_**Jenny:** Here's more. Don't fail. :P_

_**Mel:** Yay, you got an A-! I thought the 'reading my mind I need a hug' part was sweet. :P_

_**Mz. Daydream:** No, they are not back together, but don't worry, this story will end happy, I swear. _

Chapter 12

Ashley breathed a soft sigh of relief as Tawny stopped wailing, but continued rocking her back and forth absentmindedly for several minutes afterward. "It's okay, sweetie," she murmured once more before setting Tawny down onto the floor.

"Can I watch movie?" Tawny asked, her tears forgotten. Ashley smiled and nodded.

"Has she ever been to the movies?" Andros asked. Ashley realized that she was still sitting in his lap, and moved quickly.

"No," she said, shaking her head. "And I don't think I'm ready to take her anywhere."

"You could turn the Simudeck into a movie theater," Andros suggested. "Do you think she'd like that?"

"Yeah," Ashley said, the corners of her mouth turning up into a small smile. "Ask her yourself."

Andros glanced at her anxiously. "Are you sure?"

"It was your idea," Ashley told him. "Go on."

"All right," Andros said uncertainly. "Tawny? Do you want to go to the movies?"

"Yes!" she shrieked. "When movie? Can movie be now?"

"If it's okay with your mommy," Andros said, glancing at Ashley once again.

"Please Mommy?" Tawny begged.

Ashley's smile was no longer forced, and she nodded. "We'll all go."

Faint music floated through the air, and Andros glanced at Ashley curiously. "What's that?"

"Oh, that's just my phone," Ashley said airly, her smile disappearing. "It's not important. Let's go."

Andros remembered what he had originally come to Ashley's room for. "That's Jeff, isn't it?"

"Probably," Ashley sighed, not bothering to ask how he knew. "Why can't he just leave me alone?"

"Because he's worried about you," Andros said softly. "He wants to know that you're okay. You pretty much vanished into thin air."

"I did not," Ashley protested. "I left a note."

"Ash, if you don't want to talk to him, the least you could do is tell him that you're all right."

"If I talk to him, then he'll want to see me," Ashley said. She sighed, and sat down on her bed. "And how am I supposed to tell him the truth? Terry means a lot to Jeff."

"But you should mean more," Andros said, sitting down beside her.

"What if I don't?" Ashley challenged him, the now-silent phone clutched in her hands. "If I make Jeff choose, I'm afraid that he won't choose me. I don't think I could stand to lose him too."

"Mommy, hurry!"

"In a minute, sweetie," Ashley said, staring at the phone.

"You don't have to tell him right away," Andros said. "Just call and tell him that you're all right. You can do that much, can't you?"

"I guess," Ashley said uncertainly. She exhaled slowly before dialing Jeff's number.

He answered immediately.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Jeff," Ashley said nervously. "It's me."

"Ashley!" Jeff exclaimed. "I've been so worried about you. Where are you? Is Tawny all right?"

"I'm living on the Megaship," Ashley said. "Tawny's fine."

"Ash, why did you leave?"

"I can't talk about that," Ashley said. "Not yet. I just wanted to tell you that I'm okay."

She hung up the phone before Jeff could say anything else. Turning her attention to Andros, she asked, "Happy now?"

He chose not to reply. Ashley was glad for his silence; she doubted that she would have appreciated anything he had to say. Instead, he focused on Tawny, who was attempting to drag both him and Ashley out of the door. Laughing, Andros scooped her up into his arms and offered her to Ashley.

"She likes you," Ashley commented, watching her daughter fasten her arms around Andros's neck despite his efforts to hand the little girl over. "You can carry her."

Something unreadable passed through Andros's eyes, and slowly, he shook his head. "I just remembered, I have to... um, I have to go, but I'll come back later. Is that all right?"

Hurt filled Ashley's eyes, and he winced inwardly, but he had to get out of there. Ashley stared at him for a moment, and then nodded, avoiding his gaze once again. "Sure," she agreed. "Whenever."

"Okay," Andros said quickly, freeing his neck from Tawny's grasp. "I'll see you two later. Have fun."

Andros left quickly and initially headed in the opposite direction of the Simudeck, walking as fast as he could, hoping to be out of sight by the time Ashley and Tawny finally left the room. Once he was what he figured to be a safe distance away, he stopped, sinking down to the floor, his back against the wall.

_What's wrong with me? Ashley's never going to want to talk to me again, not after that. Why did I have to do that? Why did I do that?_

"Andros?"

He groaned. "Not now, Zhane."

"Hey man, what's wrong?" Paying absolutely no attention to the fact that his best friend obviously didn't want to talk to him, the former silver ranger promptly joined him on the floor. "What happened with Ashley? Was it that bad?"

"No," Andros muttered. "Everything was perfectly fine for a half hour or so. I got Ashley to call Jeff and tell him that she was okay. She even agreed that we could be friends."

"That's great!" Zhane congratulated him. "So... why are you sitting here sulking?"

"I'm not sulking," Andros protested.

Zhane rolled his eyes. "Moping, then."

Andros sighed. "We were going to turn the Simudeck into a movie theater for Tawny. I picked her up, and Ashley said I could carry her, and then... I don't know, I just had to get out of there."

"Why?"

Andros shrugged. "I don't know."

"You don't know why you ran away from Ashley?"

"I wasn't running away," Andros protested. "Not from Ashley, anyway."

"So you're running away from a two-year-old?" Zhane asked skeptically.

"No," Andros said defensively.

"Then what's going on?" Zhane demanded.

"It's stupid," Andros muttered. "But I was afraid I'd drop her."

"You were afraid of dropping Tawny?"

Andros nodded, his head snapping up to glare daggers at Zhane when the blond boy snorted with laughter.

"Let me see if I understand you here," Zhane said, controlling the urge to laugh hysterically. "You're scared that you're going to drop the little girl, so instead of doing what most people would do, setting her on the ground, you run away from her, and her mother, who you are completely and hopelessly in love with, making her feel hurt enough that she'll probably never want to speak to you again. Is that it?"

"Yes?"

"Andros," Zhane sighed, "that's the most idiotic thing I've ever heard."

"I -"

"I'm not saying that you weren't afraid that you were going to drop her," he continued. "Hell, you probably were going to. I'm just saying that you've come up with what has to be the sorriest excuse for running."

Andros looked away before mumbling, "That's because it is just an excuse."

"Well, I know that!" Zhane exlcaimed. "Now, what really happened?"

Andros shook his head. "This is going to sound even stupider."

"I very much doubt that."

"Fine," Andros snapped, his temper aggravated by Zhane's tone, but his voice softend as he continued. "When Ashley told me about Tawny, I never thought about breaking up with her, but I didn't want that much to do with Tawny, either. I guess she knew that, and that had a lot to do with why she broke up with me instead."

"And...?" Zhane prompted as Andros stopped speaking.

"And then yesterday, I ended up watching her while Ashley went to talk to you guys," Andros said. "I don't know why I did that, but I did, and when Tawny woke up, I couldn't just sit there and ignore her. She's always so happy, and I realized that she didn't bother me at all."

"Andros," Zhane said slowly, carefully scrutinizing his friend's expression before continuing. "When you say she doesn't bother you, is that your way of saying that you're starting to care about her?"

"Yes," Andros muttered reluctantly. "I love Ashley, and now I'm starting to love her daughter."

"So tell her," Zhane urged. "She just might be interested in knowing that."

"I can't do that!"

"Why not?" Zhane demanded.

"We're not together anymore," Andros cried. "Until today, she was terrified of me!"

"But she's not anymore," Zhane pointed out. "Look, I'm not telling you to propose to her or anything, but the least she deserves is for you to be, you know, honest with her."

"But-" Andros started to protest, and sighed heavily. "How am I supposed to tell her?"

"Just tell her you want to talk to her," Zhane advised him. "Andros, if you don't tell her, sooner or later, you're gonna do something to give yourself away, and she'll react much worse then than if you just go up to her now and tell her."

"I won't screw this up," Andros said determinedly. "Ashley means too much to me."

"Andros," Zhane said, "you are an awful actor."

"I can't tell her, Zhane," Andros snapped. "I'd lose her again if I did."

"What makes you so sure?"

"Zhane, listen to me," Andros said firmly. "Me going up to her and saying, 'Ashley, I love you, I'm dying without you' isn't exactly what she needs right now."

"Maybe it is," Zhane retorted. He paused, and added with a grin, "Okay, leave out the 'dying without you' part."

"It's not funny," Andros protested. In a much more muted voice, he whispered, "I think I am."

Zhane opened his mouth to reply, and closed it abruptly, seeing the mournful look on Andros's face. "You're serious." Andros nodded, and Zhane groaned. "That's another problem that could be solved by telling Ashley how you feel."

"I'm afraid she'll never want to see me again," Andros muttered.

"So you're best - and only - plan is to be friends with Ashley, who you're in love with, and hope that she doesn't notice and you don't do anything stupid to make her notice?"

"Do you have a better idea?" Andros challenged.

"Telling her!"

"No."

"Andros," Zhane sighed. "You are going to screw this up big time."

Zhane hopped to his feet saying something about meeting Karone and took off down the hall before the words could slip past all thoughts of Ashley to register in Andros's mind.

"Deca, are Ashley and Tawny still on the Simudeck?"

"Affirmative," Deca replied.

Andros sighed and stood up. If nothing else, he should apologize to Ashley for leaving the way he did. He wondered if Zhane was right; maybe he should tell Ashley. He wished he knew if Ashley loved him. Probably not; she had broken up with him after all, but if he knew what she was feeling, it would make his decision much easier.

He reached the Simudeck and slipped in quietly, not wanting to disturb Tawny, who was thouroughly entranced with everything. Tawny was settled in Ashley's lap almost in the exact center of the theater, and Andros sat down in the seat beside them.

"Hey," he whispered, loudly enough to get Ashley's attention, but nowhere near the level of volume he would need to distract Tawny from the movie. "Ashley, I'm sorry about before. I didn't mean to run away like that."

Ashley glanced at him, and nodded. She turned her attention back to the movie, but could feel Andros watching her out of the corner of his eye, and shifted uncomfortably.

_"What?"_ she asked, using her telepathy for the first time in weeks.

_"Nothing,"_ Andros said hastily. _"What movie is this?"_

_"'The Lion King,'"_ Ashley replied. _"Ever seen it?"_

_"No,"_ he said, and for the next sixty-five minutes, Andros concentrated very hard on the animals and their story.


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer:** Ya know Disney? They own the Power Rangers, not me.

_**Jenny:** Yeah, Tawny's spoiled. I guess I felt sorry for her... Yay, you're working on the Christmas special! And Forever Light... Just write!_

_**Mel:** Some girl from LA wound up at your school? I gotta try that... I hadn't even seen The Lion King when I wrote that chapter. :P _

_**Ashley Hammond/Astro Yellow:** Haha, they stole your blood... Um, okay... I'll talk to you tomorrow, I swear! Then you can see more random parts of chapters and thoughts. :P_

Chapter 13

"All right, Andros, you win," Ashley muttered, glaring into the darkness. It was past eleven, but Ashley knew her brother's study habits, and they rarely involved sleeping before one in the morning or being awake before noon now that he had had time to settle into his routine. "I'll go see Jeff."

She sighed, and reached for her phone, dialing the familiar number in the darkness, careful not to wake Tawny, who was asleep in her arms. Slowly easing herself onto her other side, facing away from her daughter, Ashley waited patiently for Jeff to answer, overcome with a sudden jealousy.

Jeff had helped her whenever she needed it - everyday- and he loved Tawny, but she wasn't his child. Jeff could come and go as he pleased without worrying about who would be home to babysit. He was a senior in college, and Ashley hadn't even applied. She couldn't just leave Tawny with someone else for that many hours. She already felt as though she'd neglected her daughter for her entire life.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Jeff," Ashley said. "Um, I... I'm sorry I hung up on you last time."

"Don't worry about it, Ash," Jeff assured her. "Are you all right?"

"Not really," Ashley admitted. "Jeff? How busy are you right now?"

"Not busy at all," Jeff answered immediately. It was a lie, and Ashley knew it, but she needed her brother.

"Would you mind coming to the Megaship for awhile?" Ashley asked. "I'll explain everything."

"Sure," Jeff agreed. "Now?"

"Yeah," Ashley said. "I'll have Deca teleport you in."

"Okay," Jeff agreed and hung up the phone.

Ashley sighed and eased herself out of bed, pulling a yellow sweatshirt over her head, shivering. "Deca, can you teleport my brother Jeff here?"

"Certainly."

"Thanks, Deca," Ashley said, exhaling slowly as her brother materialized in front of her. "Hey, Jeff."

"Ash!" Jeff exclaimed softly, pulling her into his arms. Ashley stiffened, and he let her go, concern darkening his eyes. "What's wrong?"

"Feel like a walk?"

Ashley started towards the door, leaving Jeff to follow her. In the brighter lights of the corridor, he saw that Ashley didn't look well at all. Her normally sparkling eyes were dull and pain filled and cast down at the floor paneling, as if she was afraid to meet his eyes. Jeff wondered if she was. One glance told him that Ashley was thinner than she had been three weeks before, and his mind began whirling with possible explanations for her appearence. Several scenarios played out in his mind, none reflecting too favorably on Andros.

"Andros," Ashley said, halting in surprise as she led Jeff into the observatory. A lone figure was laying on the couch, his face turned heavenwards, searching the stars for something, anything, even the smallest hint that his misery wouldn't last for always.

When he heard her voice, he bolted upright, his eyes shining as he saw her even as they grew dark with sadness. "Hi, Ash," he said quietly, standing up slowly. His eyes fell on her brother standing beside her, and something unreadalbe flittered across his face. "Hi, Jeff."

"Hi," Jeff said, somewhat cooly. His tone was not lost on Andros, and he glanced at Ashley, who was busy avoiding him gaze.

"I'll get out of here and let you two talk," Andros said quietly. His gaze lingered on Ashley for a moment, and he added softly, "Good night, Ash."

"Good night," Ashley whispered. Jeff saw Andros stare sadly at Ashley for a moment longer before he turned and slunk away.

"What was that about?" Jeff asked before it occured to him that it was probably none of his business.

Ashley sighed. "I don't want to talk about that."

"Then what **did** you want to talk about?"

"Sit down," Ashley said wearily, sinking down onto the couch Andros had vacated only a moment before. "This will take a long time... Jeff, when you first heard from Mom and T-Terry that I was pregnant, what did you think?"

Jeff sighed heavily. "You want the truth?"

"Yes," Ashley said softly.

"It didn't sound like you," Jeff said. "The sister I knew didn't sleep around, but the sister I knew didn't run away for five months without a word, either. Mom was drunk when she told me, and at first I thought she was confused, or angry enough to make it up, but then I saw you, and well..."

"I was eight months pregnant and it was obvious that Mom had told you the truth," Ashley finished for him, and Jeff nodded.

"After you came back..." Jeff hesitated, before taking a deep breath, and plowing forward, praying that she would forgive him for keeping quiet. "I kept wondering what had happened, but you wouldn't say anything, so I just thought you'd made a mistake... slept with a boyfriend of yours. It wasn't until Tawny was a year old and starting to talk that I realized something. She called me 'Dada' for months, Ash, and I couldn't explain to her that I was her uncle, not her daddy. Hearing her trying to ask for her daddy, it made me realize that for her to have been... who was the boyfriend you'd had then?"

"Scott," Ashley whispered.

"For her to have been Scott's baby," Jeff continued sadly, "Tawny would have had to be at least three months older than she was... and there was no one else after Scott, at least no one that I knew about."

"There was no one after Scott," Ashley confirmed. "Not until Tawny was already born."

"I'm sorry, Ash," Jeff said. "I didn't want to believe it, and when you acted like nothing was wrong, I believed you, and what you wanted me to believe."

"You're not angry at me?" Ashley asked. "For not telling?"

"I can understand why you didn't," Jeff said. "But I really wish you had."

"So do I," Ashley said with a heavy sigh.

"Do you know who-"

"Yes," Ashley answered, interrupting Jeff's hesitant question. "I don't want to talk about that."

"But if you know, why don't you go to the police?" Jeff asked. "I know you must've been scared-"

"I don't want to talk about this," Ashley repeated, more forcefully. With his eyes, her brother was asking her why she'd kept silent, and she couldn't answer. She sighed, and added, more quietly than before, "I'd always known what happened, but it never really hit me. Not until I was telling Andros, and then it all came crashing back. It's just barely sunk in, Jeff. I can't deal with going to the police yet."

Jeff nodded, not completely understanding, but knowing that Ashley would do what she wanted, when she was ready. He decided it might be a good idea to shift the topic of the conversation. "Was this why you stopped singing?"

Ashley looked at him, startled, overwhelmed by memories again, but this time, the remembrences were of a happier nature. Ashley had a beautiful singing voice, and she'd always loved showing it off... until she became too ashamed to look people in the eye, much less sing in front of them.

"Yeah," she said sadly. "I guess it was."

Maybe that's why she had become such close friends with Cassie; because Cassie had what Ashley had lost. It was both an interesting theory and a probable one, but Ashley didn't particularly care at the moment.

"Ashley," Jeff said. "I'll always be here for you. You know that, right?"

"Yeah," Ashley said with a small smile. "I know."

She stifled a yawn, and Jeff stood up. "You should get some sleep now."

"Probably," Ashley admitted ruefully. "Jeff... thanks."

She wasn't sure what she was thanking him for, exactly; she only knew that she should. Jeff nodded, smilling at her, and she knew that he'd understood. Jeff walked her back to her room, a comfortable silence between them, telling Ashley that everything was all right between them once again.

Ashley stopped short as they reached her room. "Andros!" she exclaimed softly, her voice a near wail. "What are you doing here?"

Jeff looked past his sister to see his niece wrapped up in Andros's arms, sobbing her little heart out. The Karovan looked up at Ashley, his face a mixture of helplessness and uncertainty.

"She woke up screaming," he explained, trying to pry Tawny loose, but she seemed content crying into his neck. "Did I - did I do something wrong?"

"No," Ashley whispered, sitting down beside him, gently pulling Tawny away from Andros and into her own arms. "Tawny, what's wrong?"

"Mommy?" Tawny snuffled, now crying into Ashley's neck. "Monster kill me."

"No, sweetie," Ashley said gently, rocking her back and forth. "There's no monsters here."

"Monster," Tawny shrieked, still sobbing. "Monster get me."

"There's no monsters here," Ashley repeated. "And I'm not letting any ugly monster get you, I promise."

"No monster?"

"No monster," Ashley said firmly.

"You lying," Tawny said, eyeing Ashley reproachfully. "There monster!"

"Tawny, there's no monster," Ashley said weakly, looking from Andros to Jeff, her expression completely lost. "I promise, there's no monster."

"Your mommy helped make all the monsters go away," Jeff said, kneeling down to look his niece in the eye. The instant Tawny spotted him, she shrieked happily, her nightmare forgotten.

"Uncle Jeff!"

"Oof," Jeff grunted as Tawny threw herself down into his arms, nearly knocking him off balance. "You've grown in the last few weeks, haven't you?"

"Mommy say so," Tawny told him proudly.

"Your mommy's right," Jeff said, ruffling her hair affectionately. Tawny giggled, squirming away as she tried to hide a yawn. Jeff grinned and swung her back up into Ashley's arms. "I think it's way past someone's bedtime."

"Not tired," Tawny insisted, her voice muffled by another yawn.

"Go back to sleep, Tawny," Jeff said firmly. "I'll come see you again tomorrow, if it's all right with your mommy."

"You know it is," Ashley said with a genuine smile. "You're leaving now?"

"In a minute," Jeff said, his gaze sliding to Andros, still sitting silently on a corner of Ashley's bed. "I want to talk to you."

If Andros was surprised by the request, he hid it well, and simply nodded his head. Jeff saw his eyes flicker towards Ashley for the briefest second, and the nervousness that suddenly sprang up into his sister's face did not escape his notice.

The two men walked side by side in an uneasy silence for quite some time before Jeff began to translate his thoughts into words. "This is really none of my business, but are you and Ashley still together?"

"No," Andros answered after a long pause, his voice deceptively calm. "And you're right, it is none of your business."

"All right, I'm sorry," Jeff said hastily, his curiosity satisfied. "But Ashley and Tawny **are **my business. They're my family."

Andros nodded. "I know they are. I'm not keeping them from you."

"That's not what I meant," Jeff said defensively, although his train of thought hadn't been a far cry from that.

"What **did** you mean, then?" Andros asked, his voice even but still challenging.

"Look, I just want to know..." Jeff ran his fingers through his hair in frustration and sighed heavily. "I don't really know what I want to know, all right? I'm just used to looking out for them, and now..."

"I understand," Andros said after a brief pause. "Don't worry, they're safe here. Tawny's happy, and I think Ashley's as close to it as she's able to be right now."

Jeff nodded. "I wish I could help her somehow..."

"You already have," Andros said. "I don't think that Tawny could be who she is without you."

"Tawny was born happy," Jeff said with a fond smile. "No matter what happens, she'll always be all right. It's Ashley I'm worried about."

Andros made no comment, but the flash of emotion in his eyes caused Jeff to start wondering again. He knew that there was a lot Ashley had chosen not to mention to him, and he suddenly realized that whatever it was she was keeping from him, Andros knew.

"You know," Jeff breathed, stepping closer to the former red ranger. "You know who did this to my sister."

"Yes," Andros said simply, his voice a shocking contrast to the burning hatred smoldering in his hazel eyes.

"Who was it?" Jeff demanded.

Andros shook his head. "That's a question for Ashley."

Jeff narrowed his eyes at the resignation he heard. "You want to tell me, don't you?"

"Yes," Andros said again, his true emotions beginning to seep out of his eyes and heart and into his tone. "I want her to tell someone. I want to kill him myself. If I ever meet him, I probably will."

"Then why don't **you** tell someone? If the story came out, Ashley wouldn't deny it."

"I promised her I would never tell," Andros said bitterly. "That was probably the stupidest thing I've ever done. I agreed, and now she's here, safe, but she's keeping herself a prisoner up here while he's still down there."

"You have to make her tell someone," Jeff insisted. "If she keeps quiet, it's not just about her anymore. What if he does it again?"

Andros's eyes widened slightly. "I never thought of that. I don't think Ashley did, either."

"That's why she's got to tell someone," Jeff said. "It's not going to be easy for her, but she's just got to."

"I'll talk to her again in the morning," Andros said finally. "But I can't promise you anything."

"Thank you," Jeff said, breathing a little easier. "I should go now."

"Wait," Andros said. He unfastened the communicator from his left wrist and handed it to Jeff. "I'm not keeping them from you."

"Thank you," Jeff said again, securing the cool metal around his own wrist.

"Good night," Andros said, turning and making his way slowly down the hall. Jeff watched him walk away, wondering what he was missing.

"Deca, teleport me to my room at home."


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the Power Rangers. They just talk to me.

_**Jenny:** Nope, you haven't seen this before. I only sent you and Marieke up to chapter 12. :P Yay, you have time to write! And that's a perfect description of a fairy. _

_**Ashley Hammond/Astro Yellow:** I'm working on your brother... kinda. I've been busy and I'm not totally inspired, but I swear I'll finish the story sometime this year. :P_

_**C.C.C:** Thanks. Don't worry, there's going to be a happy ending, even if it doesn't seem like it for awhile. There's going to be a lot more of Andros and Jeff since I was having a lot of fun with them._

_**Mel:** Thank. My school doesn't have a national honor society. They don't have a lot of things... :P_

**Author's Note:** Get ready for a **long** conversation between Andros and Ashley.

Chapter 14

"Ashley, I really need to talk to you," were not the first words Ashley either expected or wanted to hear the moment she stepped out of her bedroom the next morning. Shifting a sleepy Tawny on her hip, she turned to glare at the speaker.

"What do you want?"

"I need to talk to you," Zhane repeated, his light blue eyes strangely intense as they focused themselves on her own brown orbs. "Now, if possible."

Ashley sighed and stared at him carefully. "You look serious."

"I am."

"What do you want?"

"To talk to you," Zhane said for the third time, now sounding overly patient.

"So talk."

"I need to talk to you alone and as far away from Andros as is physically possible."

"Now** that** sounds more like you," Ashley said. "What did you do?"

Zhane's look of exasperation was nearly enough to send Ashley into a fit of giggles, despite the fact that she wasn't in a particularly cheery mood. "Why do I always have to do something?" he demanded. "Why can't I ever... oh, what's the use?"

"Sorry," she said sheepishly. "Deca, where's Andros?"

"Andros is still asleep," Deca informed them and Zhane breathed a sigh of relief.

"That gives us some time," he said, grasping her by the arm, ready to let her go if she flinched away. When she didn't, he steered her towards the Megalift, leading her onto the Simudeck.

"What are we doing here?"

"This way Tawny can be distracted," Zhane said absently, toying with the controls. A moment later, green gridlines sprung up across the room and a playground appeared, complete with several slides just the right size for the little girl.

"You were serious about the alone thing," Ashley remarked, settling herself on the ground as Tawny ran off.

"Yeah," Zhane agreed uneasily. He glanced at her and took a deep breath. "I was... How do you feel about Andros?"

"Zhane..."

"I know you don't want to talk about it," he interrupted. "I wouldn't be asking if it wasn't important. Just answer the question, Ash, please."

She sighed and looked away, twirling several synthetic blades of grass between her slender fingers before her mouth opened. "Andros and Tawny are the two people who mean the most to me."

"Good," Zhane said, a relieved smile crawling across his features. "So you still want to be with him."

He'd half expected Ashley to fly into a fit of some sort and either start screaming at him or crying, but she did neither. With a heavy sigh, her shoulders seemed to slump forward, and she drew her knees up to her chin as she slowly nodded her head yes.

"You need to tell him that."

"I can't," Ashley said firmly, unable to look him in the eye. "I don't want to hurt myself like that. Not when he doesn't want to be with me."

"You think he doesn't want to be with you?" Zhane asked increduously, wondering how it was possible for the both of them to be so blind. "Ashley, that's not true."

"Zhane, he might have said that he'd wait for me when he found out about Tawny, but obviously he's changed his mind since then," Ashley said, her voice slowly starting to quaver. "I know that I was the one to break up with him, but he was the one who wanted to just be f-friends..."

Her voice broke off as she started to cry, and Ashley buried her face in her hands, shrugging off Zhane's comforting hand. The blond boy sighed, running his fingers through his short hair in frustration, already knowing that Andros was going to kill him, or at the very least, send him back into the deep freeze for another two years or so.

"Ash," he said very gently when she'd calmed down. "Do you want to know **why** Andros wanted to be friends with you?"

"You're going to tell me whether I want to know or not, aren't you?"

"Yeah," Zhane said. "And you'd better believe it too, or else he'll kill me for nothing... Andros is an idiot, Ash, and an awful actor, and he wouldn't listen when I told him so."

"What's the point?" Ashley was starting to eye him a little warily, and Zhane decided he'd best hurry up.

"Andros never wanted to be apart from you," he told her. "He left you alone because he thought that's what you wanted, and that's why he wanted to be friends with you. Because he thought that's what you wanted, and he's afraid of losing you completely if he tells you how he really feels."

"Why are you telling me all this?" Ashley appeared about to cry again.

"Because sooner or later, probably sooner, Andros is going to do something incredibly stupid," Zhane said. "He can't hide how he feels forever, and I just thought you might appreciate the warning."

"I... thanks," she said softly, a faint ray of hope shining in her dulled eyes. "I need to think."

"I'll leave you alone then," Zhane said, hopping up. "Bye, Tawny."

"Bye!" she shouted back, tumbling down the slide headfirst. Once at the bottom, she scrambled to her feet again, eager to repeat the experience.

"I think I used to do that," Zhane said, pausing to watch her for a moment.

"You must have landed on your head too hard." A small grin appeared on Ashley's tearstained face.

"Probably," Zhane agreed with a grin of his own. "I thought it was kinda fun, though."

Ashley's sad expression returned as her snort of laughter faded, and Zhane left the Simudeck quickly, groaning inwardly as he nearly collided with Andros.

"What are you doing here?" Zhane demanded as Andros asked, "Have you seen Ashley?"

Zhane shifted uncomfortably. "She's in there."

Andros's eyes narrowed. "Zhane..."

"I told her nothing she didn't need to hear," he said, and bolted. Andros glared after him for a moment before poking his head cautiously onto the Simudeck, ready to deny whatever Zhane had told Ashley, however true it might be.

"Ash?"

As Andros spoke her name, Ashley's head shot up off her knees, and she spun around to face him. One look at her face told him that she'd been crying, and he made a mental note to throttle Zhane the next time the opportunity presented itself.

"Ash, I'm sorry," he said quickly, crouching down beside her. His fingers itched to touch her arm, but he couldn't bring himself to do so, not anymore. "Whatever Zhane said to you, it wasn't true. He..."

"Andros, sit," Ashley said. With one hand, she reached out and tugged hard on his arm, pulling him down all the way. Andros didn't protest, and Ashley truly looked him in the eye for the first time in weeks. "I think maybe we should talk."

"We need to talk," Andros agreed. "But not about whatever Zhane said, if you don't want to. He doesn't know what he was saying, Ash. I don't..."

"Andros," Ashley interrupted softly, and he ceased rambling. "Why did you ask to be friends?"

"I can't lose you," Andros mumbled, his resolve never to tell her crumbling as he saw the torn look in her eyes. "I don't know what to do without you, Ash, and it was the only way I could think of."

She nodded her head slowly, contemplating what he'd said as she watched her daughter swing for a long minute. "Andros, I just need to know. Are you saying that if I hadn't broken up with you then you wouldn't have broken up with me?"

"That's why you broke up with me?" Andros exclaimed before he could help himself. "So I couldn't do it? Ash, I **never** would have."

"I'm sorry, Andros," she whispered, looking and feeling tremendously ashamed of herself. "I'm so sorry. I just needed some time for everything to sink in. I should have trusted you... trusted us..."

Her already quiet voice gradually diminished in strength as she spoke, and by the end, Andros was reading her lips more than anything else. At her last words, he looked at her carefully, searching her face anxiously for anything to give him hope, and finding nothing.

"Ash, you don't need to apologize," he told her, thinking that he should say something. "It's all right."

"No, it's not," Ashley said quietly, swallowing hard as she raised her eyes to his. "So don't pretend that it is."

"Ash..."

"No, Andros," she said sadly. "Don't act like it's all right that I hurt you."

"Ash, I..." Andros stared at her, unable to come up with a reply. "You..."

Ashley sighed, hugging her knees to her chin as she fought hard to keep her voice steady. "I know I've hurt you, Andros. I never meant to, or wanted to. I just... I didn't know how long I'd need, and I couldn't ask you to spend the rest of your life hanging around waiting for me to deal with everything that I've been hiding from."

"Ash..." Andros sighed and opened his arms, his eyes silently pleading with her to come closer. Ashley hesitated visibly, leaning in towards him and then drawing back sharply, but she couldn't tear her eyes away from his. Slowly, Ashley edged closer to him, allowing him to envelop her in his arms. She wrapped her arms around him a moment later, forcing the oxygen out of his lungs with the strength of her grip, mumbling apologies into his neck.

Gently, Andros disentangled himself from Ashley just enough to allow him to stare into her eyes. The words died on her lips as she gazed back at him, furious with herself. Why had she forced him away? There was no hatred or resentment in his eyes, only the soft look that she had wanted to drown herself in so many times.

There was a slight widening to Ashley's chocolate brown eyes, and something deep inside of Andros snapped. He couldn't do this. It was beginning to slowly drive him crazy to have her this close and not be able to touch her... or to kiss her...

Ashley stiffened as Andros touched his lips to hers, clueless as to how she should react. Torn between leaning into him and shoving him off of her, she did absolutely nothing and held herself perfectly still. When it dawned on Andros that he was kissing her, his head jerked back and he stared at her wildly. Her mouth opened and closed several times, but Ashley couldn't form any coherent thoughts, much less words. Andros couldn't bring himself to tear his eyes away from hers, knowing that the instant he did so, she would snap out of the daze she was in.

She was shaking slightly, not much, but with their bodies pressed as close together as they were, Andros was painfully aware of it. A moment later, he realized why she was trembling, and was torn between bursting into tears and throwing himself into the nearest black hole. When he'd pried Ashley's arms loose, his hands had fastened themselves onto her wrists. He'd never released the hold on her, leaving her unable to pull away from him.

"Ash, I'm sorry," he cried, dropping her hands, immense guilt flooding into his face and eyes as he realized what he'd done. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to... I'll go now."

Ashley watched him climb to his feet and turn to go, still stunned. As he reached the doors to the Simudeck, she jumped up, calling after him, "Wait!"

He stopped, and slowly turned, carefully avoiding her eyes. "I'm sorry, Ash," he said again. "I don't know what I was thinking."

Ashley cocked her head at him, scrutinizing his expression before daring to say anything. His guilt was clear to her; he hadn't even bothered to try to hide it. There was also the heavy look of sadness that Ashley herself had become too well accquainted with over the past three weeks. It was an expression that she'd seen on Andros's face far too many times, and the knowledge that she was the cause of it now cut through her more thoroughly than any blade.

"Andros..." She finally forced herself to speak. Her mind tried to keep the words in and screamed at her that she was making the biggest mistake of her life, but her heart disagreed and didn't care. "Do you... do you still want me?"

"Yes," Andros exclaimed, falling into the same state as Ashley. The words formed on his lips without his knowledge, and before he realized it, he'd blurted out, "Ash, I love you."


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer:** The Power Rangers aren't mine. Andros isn't mine... yet.

_**Mz. Daydream:** I hope you did good on your test! Tawny was still too busy playing on the slide, and will be for a while... :P _

_**Jenny:** Yeah, Tawny likes cookies. I actually had a really good idea for a scene with cookies, but that's in my next story. :P That was pretty lame in POTC, but the sweetness of it kinda balanced it out. Not really... Anyway, I tried hard not to make this lame..._

_**Ashley Hammond/Astro Yellow:** Yeah, you have to pay attention now. :P I'm working on DD, don't worry, but it'll be awhile before I actually get anywhere..._

_**PinkRanger4Evr:** Nope, not close to the end. I think this is only about halfway..._

_**Mel:** Have fun snowboarding! _

Chapter 15

Ashley's face was wiped blank of even the smallest trace of emotion for perhaps ten seconds; the longest ten seconds of Andros's life. He groaned softly and very carefully focused his gaze on the green blades of faux grass, still hearing his words reverberating in his mind, berating himself harshly for letting the words slip out. There was only one way he wouldn't lose her now, and he couldn't dare hope that she loved him back.

"You... did you just... you love... you can't..." Ashley stammered her way through several aborted attempts to form sentences and simply stared at him, not daring to believe that he'd meant what he'd just said. "Andros, please say something!"

"Ash, I love you." He forced himself to repeat the words calmly, but there was nothing on earth that could have made him bring his eyes up to meet hers. "This isn't how I should have told you, but I can't keep pretending that I don't anymore."

"You love me?" Ashley whispered, the words finally piercing through the haze of emotions clouding her mind. The full import of what he was saying to her hit her hard, and she swallowed, desperately trying to summon up the courage to say the words in return. Briefly, she wondered why it was so hard. It should have been easy for her; she knew how Andros felt. He was the one staring at the ground, unable to look her in the eye for fear of what he might find there. "Andros, I..."

"You don't have to say anything," he interrupted her, spitting the words out quickly, thinking that he wouldn't be able to bear her rejection, no matter how much he deserved it. "It's all right, Ash. I know you must hate me, especially after I kissed you like that."

His facade of understanding and acceptance struck him as utterly false at it must have her, but he didn't care. Anything was better than hearing the words 'I hate you' from Ashley's mouth while directed towards him.

"I love you, Andros."

"You do?" Andros's head snapped up, pure joy flooding his hazel eyes. He took a slow step towards her, intending to gather her into his arms and never let her go. The look on Ashley's face stopped him cold, and he gave her one long pleading glance before she tore her gaze away from his. "Ash, please..."

She shook her head firmly, miraculously transforming her unshed tears to an iron will. "You deserve someone better than me, Andros."

"There **isn't** anyone better than you," Andros told her softly, feeling her slowly crushing his heart yet again. "Ash, if you're not ready, I'll wait for you."

"I know you would," Ashley said quietly. "It's not that."

"Then what is it?" he cried, desperate to keep her no matter what he had to do. "Is it Tawny?"

"Partly," she muttered. "I can't ask you to-"

"Ash, I love her too," Andros admitted. "You don't have to worry about that."

"Andros," Ashley said slowly. "I have to think about Tawny, too. If we were together again, you'd be a huge part of her life. She attatches herself to people very easily, and if she starts to think of you as her daddy, and then one day you're not there..."

"I'll always be there," Andros promised her softly, by now feeling almost sick with guilt. He could see the conflicting emotions flitting across Ashley's face and eyes, and he knew that he had to be tearing her apart, but something refused to let him stop now.

"You don't know that," she said sadly and much more calmly than she felt. "Andros, you don't understand. It wouldn't just be the two of us. You'd be helping to raise someone else's daughter."

"But she's your daughter," he said quietly. "That's all that matters to me."

"Andros, you don't want to be with me," Ashley said, large tears rolling down her cheeks as she turned away from him. "Just trust me on that."

"No," he said, stepping closer to her before it occured to her to stop him. "Ash, I love you and I don't think I can live without you anymore. Whatever else happens, it won't matter to me nearly as much as you do."

"Andros..." Ashley stared at him, unable to fathom how he could love her. "You don't want me."

"Stop saying that!" Ashley flinched at the anger she heard in his voice. A moment later, he was standing directly in front of her, his eyes locked onto hers. Ashley held his gaze until her eyes started to water and burn. As she finally blinked, he continued, his voice much softer now, "You're worth everything to me, Ash."

"Why?" she whispered. "There are so many reasons why I shouldn't be..."

"Then tell me," he begged softly. "Ash, please, just tell me, and let me decide for myself."

She considered it for a few minutes, conscious of the fact that Andros's eyes never left her during the long silence. _He can't possibly be telling me the truth... but I love him. If there's a chance that he'll want me, I should take it... but what if he changes his mind? I don't think I could stand that on top of everything else..._

"Ash, please," he pleaded again, forcing the words out as his throat contracted painfully. "There's nothing that can make me not want you."

"You can't know that," she whispered, her throat as tight as his. "Andros, what does it even matter?"

"It matters because I love you," he said forcefully. "I love you Ash, and I think I always will. Whatever there is, it can't change that."

Ashley glared at him for an instant, the expression fading into one of uncertainty. "You mean that?" she asked softly. "Do you **really** mean that?"

"Yes," he said instantly, nodding his head firmly. "I mean it more than anything I've ever said."

Ashley hesitated and took a deep breath, saying the words quickly before she could change her mind. "There were complications when Tawny was born, and I... and I can't have more children."

"What?" Andros prayed he'd heard wrong, for her sake more than for his, but the expression on his love's face convinced him that he'd heard her correctly. "Oh, Ash..."

"Don't," she snapped, shaking her head, a fire that had been lost for too long blazing in her eyes. "If I want pity, I can find it somewhere else."

"It's not pity," Andros insisted. "Ash, please, give me a chance."

"A chance?" Ashley repeated dimly, oddly close to laughter. "Andros did you even **hear** me? I can't give you children! Are you telling me you don't want any, or that you won't? I know we're only eighteen, but if we're together long enough, you'll change your mind and regret it."

"Ash, I want children someday," he said slowly, trying to piece together his thoughts, arriving at his conclusion mere seconds later. He could picture himself raising Tawny, and only Tawny, as his daughter, but a picture of his life without Ashley was nothing but a blur of shadow and darkness. "But I want you more."

"You say that now, but Andros, sooner or later, you'll realize that you've just been wasting your time with me," Ashley said sadly. "How long do you think we'd last? A year? Two?"

"Forever," Andros said quietly. If by some miracle he could convince her that there was nothing that could ever make him not love her, he had no intention of spending another day of his life without her. "Ash, you're the one who's not hearing me. I love you, and no matter what, I will always love you. You... you're the one who showed me how to love."

"I did?" Ashley cast him a skeptical look that softened as she saw the pained expression on his face. Uncertainly, she added, "I can't be the first person you've ever loved."

"You're not," Andros agreed readily, never letting his eyes leave hers. "You're just the first who ever loved me back."

Ashley's face was slowly starting to crumple again. "Andros..."

"Ash, just listen to me for a minute," he pleaded with her, plowing ahead without giving her a chance to respond. "You shared the darkest parts of your life with me, and I shared mine with you. If you didn't mean more to me than anyone or anything else, I wouldn't have been able to do so. Ash, I trust you more than anyone. There's no one who knows me better than you. You're the only person who's never judged me. You're the only person that I can cry in front of without feeling ashamed. Ash, I know you're hurting right now, and I know that I'm hurting you even more by telling you this, but if I lose you now, like this, then I'll never be able to forgive myself for letting you go."

Ashley had kept quiet throughout Andros's rant, but now she spoke, fighting hard to keep her voice calm and cool. "What if what I wanted was to be let go?"

"Is it?" Andros challenged her, too late realizing what he'd just done. He'd forced Ashley to choose, and if she told him to let her go, he supposed he'd have to whether he liked it or not. Cursing himself, yet some small measure of hope still alive within him, he held her gaze steadily until she finally cast her eyes downwad.

"No," she admitted in a whisper. "I don't want to lose you, Andros. It just isn't fair to you..."

"Ash," he said as gently as he could, somehow forcing away all traces of the exasperation that he was feeling. "What's not fair to me is you trying to decide my life for me. I know you're scared that I'll change my mind about you, but if we end up apart, I promise you, it won't be because of this. I love you, Ash, and I need you more than I'll ever be able to tell you."

"I need you too," Ashley mumbled, biting her lip hard. "I just can't bring myself to ask you to hold me every night while I cry myself to sleep, especially since I don't know if I'll be able to stand the sight of you the next day."

"Ash, it's all right," he assured her softly, not quite able to meet her eyes as he added, "There were some nights... after Karone was taken the second time... I just wanted to run to you and beg you to hold me while I cried, but I just couldn't bring myself to, not when I'd pushed you away all those times before."

"It's not the same thing," Ashley protested weakly, but her resolve was nearly gone, and they both knew it.

"It is, Ash," Andros insisted. He hated half of himself for pushing her this way, but the other half of him was crying out for her loudly enough to drown out the guilty chanting several times over. "I needed you and wouldn't let myself go to you. I don't care where or when, if you need me, I want you to know that you can come to me."

"I know that I can," Ashley assured him, and sighed. "Andros, I just... if we're going to have any kind of relationship at all, I don't want it to be me running to you whenever I feel like crying. You deserve better than that, and I don't... I can't let myself use you like that."

"You know I wouldn't see it that way," he told her gently.

"But I would," she mumbled, a few stray tears leaking out of her troubled eyes. "Andros, no matter what you say, I know you have better things to do than let me cry on your shoulder all the time."

"What about all the times I cried on yours?" he said softly, more than anything needing to just feel her in his arms again. "Ash, you definitely had better things to do than comfort me, but you did anyway. There's no way I'd just ignore you if you needed me."

"Andros..." Ashley broke off as she hesitated, casting about for another excuse and finding none. All the walls that she had managed to barricade herself inside slowly began to crumble, leaving her completely defenseless against anything or anyone that sought to hurt her.

Andros staggered back at the force with which Ashley fell into his arms. Catching ahold of her, he wasted no time in wrapping his arms firmly around her, holding her to him as she buried her face in his shoulder. Her entire body was trembling but her eyes were suddenly dry.

"I love you," he heard her murmur into his shoulder. "Andros, I love you, and I'm so sorry that I-"

"Ash, please just stop apologizing," he pleaded, lifting one hand to grip her chin. He slowly raised her eyes to his, leaving her unable to doubt the sincerity of his words. "I love you."

Ashley nodded weakly and hid her face against him again, clinging to him with nearly as much strength as with which he was clinging to her. Seconds turned into minutes as they stood wrapped in each other's arms, oblivious to the rest of the world.


	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer:** Power Rangers... Disney. Story... mine.

_**Ashley Hammond/Astro Yellow:** Yeah, you actually had to read it. :P Isn't Andros just so sweet? _

_**Jenny:** I love writing Andros as so incredibly sweet and perfect. :P Yay, you've got no school. That means you can write. :P_

Chapter 16

"Ash?"

"Andros, don't," she whispered, the tone of his voice telling her that she didn't want to hear whatever it was he had to say. She tried to burrow her face deeper into his neck to block out his words completely, but he refused to let her, and stepped back.

"I won't make you do anything," he assured her quietly, settling himself on the ground and motioning for her to do the same. She did; hesitantly, watching him warily. "Just listen to me for a minute, all right?"

"Okay," she muttered, her eyes dropping away from his. "What are you not going to make me do?"

"Last night, I was talking to your brother," he told her softly, his eyes never leaving her. "He knows that whatever you haven't told him, you've told me. He wanted to know-"

"You didn't tell him?" she cried. "Please, say you didn't!"

If Andros felt any annoyance at her accusation, he kept it bottled up inside of himself, and simply shook his head. "I promised you I'd never tell anyone, and I never will," he said calmly, the evenness of his tone warring with the sadness upon his face. He exhaled slowly before adding, "Even if I regret making that promise more than anything I've ever done."

"Andros, I-"

He shook his head and she fell silent, not knowing what she had been about to say. "I can't force you to go to the police, Ash. I just think that you need to, and your brother does too. Jeff wanted me to ask you what you would do if this happened to someone else."

Ashley bit her lip anxiously. "I thought of that," she admitted. "But it was just me... and after Tawny was born, he never... he never touched me again. He doesn't know that I can't have more children... he wouldn't have stopped if he did."

"Then he still needs to pay for what he did to you," he told her quietly. "I want you here, Ash, but you can't keep yourself and Tawny prisoner."

Ashley sighed. "There were so many times when I almost told Jeff, but I just... I'd already lost my mother. I didn't want to lose my brother too."

"You won't," Andros said, giving her fingers a gentle squeeze. "I talked to him last night, Ash, and I promise you, he'll believe whatever you tell him. He loves both of you."

Ashley nodded. "I know I need to tell him. I know I should have told someone a long time ago, but it was so much easier just to pretend that everything was all right."

"I know it was," Andros said. "But you can't keep yourself a prisoner here forever. He's the one who should be locked up, Ash, not you and your daughter."

She sighed. "I've just started to understand that."

"As long as you understand it," Andros said gently. "You didn't do anything wrong, and neither did Tawny."

Ashley smiled faintly. "I don't think Tawny's done anything wrong in her life."

He laughed softly at that. "She's like her mother, then."

"I'm not perfect, Andros," she said sharply.

"No," Andros agreed. "You're not. You're just sweet and caring and understanding enough that you don't have to be."

"I love you," she whispered suddenly, her arms locking around his neck in a death grip.

"And I love you," he assured her, raising one hand to brush his fingers slowly over her cheek, praying she wouldn't shrink away. When she didn't flinch, he began to stroke her hair gently, savoring the sensation of the silky strands beneath his calloused fingers.

Ashley allowed herself to nuzzle a bit closer to him, the sense of safety that accompanied just being held in his arms overwhelming, and downright frightening. As if sensing her silent fear, Andros loosened the hold he had on her just a smidgen and he stopped playing with her hair.

"Andros?" she said. "I'll go, as soon as I talk to Jeff."

He exhaled slowly with relief. "I was hoping you'd say that."

"Would you... come with me?" she whispered suddenly. His body stiffened against hers, and she was quick to add, "Only if you want to, I mean. I know you don't want to hear all that again."

"No more than you want to tell it again," he said softly, pressing his lips to the top of her head, inhaling the familiar sweet scent of her hair with a trace of guilt. "If you want me there, I won't leave you."

"Thank you," she mumbled, groaning softly as she suddenly realized that there was something she had so far avoided mentioning. "Um, Andros?"

"What's wrong?" he asked gently, recognizing her tone of voice, although he really, really wished that he hadn't. He sighed. "Just tell me, Ash."

"It's nothing bad," Ashley was quick to assure him, although he never would have guessed it from the look on her face. "There's just something you need to understand."

He nodded slowly, unable to take his eyes off of her, though he felt that he should. "What is it, Ash?"

"I put a lot of effort into pretending that nothing was wrong," Ashley said slowly, watching his face anxiously to see if he saw where she was going, but he only stared back at her calmly. "When I came home again, I made myself do everything that I had always done... and I'd always had lots of boyfriends, so I..."

"Oh," Andros said, his eyes widening with understanding. Then the full meaning behind her words hit home, and his face filled with hurt. "Even me?"

"Yes," she admitted, wanting nothing more than to just wipe that sad look off of his face. He looked away, and she sighed, continuing in a much softer tone. "But by the time I met you, I was almost used to it all, the pretending, I mean, and you... you were different, Andros."

Her voice had suddenly become plaintive, and Andros shot her a sharp glance. Her eyes were wide and earnest, leaving him unable to doubt that she was telling him the truth... but it still hurt.

"Was I?"

Ashley nodded instantly, a small smile forming on her lips. "Maybe it was because I knew I was safe here, or maybe it was because you didn't want anything to do with me at first, but... I knew that you weren't like anyone I'd ever met before, or anyone I was ever going to meet."

"Are you still pretending?"

He couldn't keep himself from asking, but when the expression on Ashley's face suddenly matched his own, Andros wished that he'd kept his mouth shut. Ashley shook her head, slowly reaching for his hands as she raised her face to meet his eyes.

"I tried to ask you out," she said, her voice no louder than a whisper. "I was the one who kissed you first. The time I spent with you, it was because I wanted to spend time with you."

Andros sighed, and nodded, knowing in his heart that what she told him was true, and besides that, there was absolutely nothing that he couldn't forgive her for. "When?"

"When what?"

"When did you stop pretending?"

She hesitated, toying with the ends of her hair anxiously as she contemplated what answer to give. "Do you really want to know?"

Andros nodded his head. "I really want to know."

"When I realized I loved you," she whispered.

"When was that?" he asked softly, briefly squeezing the fingers still resting on his. Ashley looked extremely reluctant to answer his question and he added quietly, "Please?"

"All right," she muttered, looking away as she began to speak, but a small smile had formed on her face.

_"Andros?" she called softly, her voice carrying through the darkness that threatened to entomb the both of them in his room._

_"Go away," he answered dully. The instant his voice reached her ears, she only became even more determined to remain with him until she knew what was bothering him._

_"You've been in here all day," she remarked, carefully working her way across the floor to his bed. Settling herself down beside him, she groped about blindly for his hand. He practically yanked his fingers out of hers and rolled over, facing away from her completely. "What's wrong?"_

_"Nothing you need to know about," he said cooly. "Ashley, please, just leave me alone."_

_His voice had softened, becoming more pleading, more desperate, and she sighed. If he truly wanted to be alone in this awful darkness, she supposed she had no right to intrude into his private space, however wrong it felt to leave his side when he was so obviously hurting. _

_"Do you really want me to go?" she asked, her heart aching for him. Before she could think better of it, she'd reached out to him, laying her hand on his shoulder. He tensed noticably, but before she could apologize, his fingers were gripping hers painfully._

_"No," he whispered hoarsely, trembling. Without a second throught, she scooted forward, laying down beside him. He rolled over again to face her and in the few seconds before he pulled her into a bone crushing hug, she thought she heard him stifle a sob. _

_"What's wrong?" she asked again, silently pleading with him to stop pushing her away. It had only been two weeks ago that he'd worked up the courage to ask her out on a date, but she wasn't sure that she could live without him any longer. _

_"Karone," he mumbled. "She... she's Astronema."_

_Shocked beyond words, she could only hold him close as he continued to shake, always on the verge of tears, but refusing to let go enough to allow himself to cry. _

_"Does she know?" she managed to ask once she had recovered her voice._

_"I don't know," he whispered, clinging to her as if she were a lifeline, and just maybe she was. "If she does, she doesn't care."_

_"I think she does," she told him. "Just give her some time, Andros. She'll remember."_

_"What if she never does?" He sounded lost, and for that she couldn't blame him. "I can't fight her anymore, Ash. She's my little sister now, not Astronema."_

_"She will remember," she said firmly. "You're her brother. She'll never forget you."_

_"What if I'd killed her?" he wondered, her words not registering. "What if I'd hurt her? If I'd hurt Karone-"_

_"But you didn't," she interrupted before he had the chance to go any further. "And you're not going to. Just trust me, Andros. Everything will be okay."_

_"No," he cried. "This was my fault! I shouldn't have left her!"_

_"You were six years old," she began, attempting in vain to convince him that he wasn't responsible for the loss of his sister, but Andros wasn't listening._

_"It was my fault," he repeated. "I was twenty feet away. I should have saved her."_

_"Darkonda would have killed you," she protested, alarmed by the anger in his tone. "Andros, you couldn't have done anything."_

_"There had to have been something I could have done," he insisted weakly. "They told me so."_

_"Who told you so?" she demanded._

_"My- my parents," he whispered, his voice breaking. "They blamed me."_

_"Andros..."_

_"They did," he cried out desperately. "Don't tell me that they didn't because you don't know!"_

_"Then let me in," she pleaded softly. "Please, Andros, let me help you."_

_"I can't," he whispered, sounding absolutely terrified. _

_"And why not?" she demanded gently, stroking his hair in an attempt to comfort him. His hair was surprisingly soft, and the strands slid smoothly through her fingers. Andros had stiffened at her touch, but Ashley didn't pull her hand away, and gradually, his body relaxed against hers. _

_"I'll lose you if I do," he mumbled quietly enough for her to wonder if she hadn't imagined his words. When he began trembling again, she knew that he had in fact spoken, and she tightened her embrace, wondering why her heart was aching so badly._

_"You'll never lose me," she promised him softly. "Never."_

_"You don't mean that," he said uncertainly. "You can't mean that."_

_"And why not?" she challenged him. _

_"You just can't," he cried. _

_"But I do mean it," she told him evenly. "Andros, do you trust me?"_

_"Yes," he confessed quietly. "I do. But Ashley-"_

_He fell silent as her fingers suddenly pressed gently against his lips. "Andros, you don't have to tell me anything that you don't want to tell me," she began. "But if you do, just trust me when I say that I'll still... I'll still care about you. Always."_

_He hesitated, but she didn't notice over the furious thudding of her own heart. Love. She'd almost told him that she loved him. And what was more, she realized that she did. _

_How had this happened, she wondered, clinging to Andros instinctively as tears he had successfully kept in for years suddenly fought their way out. The force of his grip left her nearly unable to breathe, but when he began sobbing quietly, she found that she didn't care. _

_When had she let down her guard? How had she not realized that she'd done so? But more importantly, what was she going to do about it? There was no denying any longer that Andros had become one of the two most important people in her life practically the instant she'd first laid eyes on him. The more she was with him, the more she wanted to always be with him, no matter where that led her. _

_"Ashley?" he asked, his voice wavering up and down as he struggled to bring himself under control. _

_"It's all right," she murmured in his ear, feeling the neckline of her shirt dampened with his tears. "Just cry, Andros, if you need to. It'll make you feel better."_

_"Then why do I feel worse?" he countered, but his head was already lowered. He buried himself in her neck as she began to rub small circles in his back, not letting her hands still until his body had ceased shuddering with sobs. _

_"Andros?"_

_"I'm all right," he muttered, making no move to release her, and she didn't want him to._

_"Do you feel like talking?" she asked gently, her fingers searching for his. _

_"No," he mumbled, but then his fingers clamped down over hers, and he began speaking timidly. "My family... we were happy, I think. But after Karone was kidnapped, I... it was my fault!"_

_"No, Andros," she said gently, startled by his angry outburst. "It wasn't."_

_"It was," he insisted. "It had to be. Or else why... why would they-"_

_He choked on his words, and she sighed, giving his fingers a gentle squeeze. "What did they do to you?"_

_"They... they beat me," he admitted, his shame clear in his voice as he began to shake again. "They said it was because of Karone."_

_"Andros..."_

_"No," he cried. "Don't you see? It was my fault! If it wasn't, they wouldn't have had to punish me for it."_

_"It wasn't your fault, Andros," she said firmly. "No matter what you've been told."_

_"Then why did they do it?" _

_"There isn't always a reason," she said darkly, suddenly wondering what would happen if she broke down and poured out her own story to him. _

_"But..."_

_"You wish that there had been, don't you?" she said knowingly. "It made it easier, thinking that you had done something to deserve what they were doing to you."_

_"Yes," he whispered. "How'd you know?"_

_"It's not important," she said hastily. Now was not the time to spill her own secrets, but somehow, she knew that the right time to do so was approaching more quickly than she realized. _

_"Would you..." He stopped and hesitated for several minutes before he managed to continue, spitting out the words in a rush. "If I told you what they did to me, would you listen?"_

_"Yes," she answered without hesitation. "Whenever you're ready."_

_"Not now," he muttered, sounding completely drained. "I can't."_

_"It's all right," she murmured soothingly. "Get some sleep, Andros."_

_"No," he pleaded, catching ahold of her arm. "Don't leave me here alone, please."_

_He had never sounded more vulnerable than he did now, and it was all she could do to keep herself from bursting into tears herself. He didn't know what he was asking of her, and with him begging her not to go, she didn't have it in her to refuse._

_"All right," she agreed, laying back down beside him. "I won't leave you, Andros."_

_The only response she received was the tightening of Andros's arms around her waist. Eventually, he drifted off into a deep, peaceful sleep, but Ashley lay awake for hours, alarmed by the sense of security brought on by simply being in his arms, and even more alarmed to find that there was nowhere that she would rather be than here, with him, in his bed, in his arms._

"That's when you knew?" Andros asked quietly. Ashley nodded slowly, still pleading softly with him for forgiveness.

He sighed and stared at her for a moment before the faintest hint of a smile appeared on his face. "That's when I knew too," he admitted.

"Really?" He nodded, and Ashley looked at him hopefully. "Forgive me?"

He looked thoughtful for a moment and then he nodded. "On one condition."

"What do you want?" she asked, suddenly fearful of what he would ask from her.

"I want you to stop apologizing."

Ashley actually laughed, her face lighting up. She flung her arms around his neck with enough force to send Andros sprawling onto his back with her on top of him.

"I love you," she whispered fiercely, burying her face in his neck. "I love you so much."

"I love you, Ash," he muttered in her ear, the fingers of his right hand playing with her hair. He hesitated, unsure of whether or not he should sit up. He didn't mind their current positions in the least, and Ashley wasn't seeming to either, but he wasn't entirely sure how much she was aware of at the current moment.

"Ash?"

"Hmm?"

"Can I... can I kiss you?" he asked in a quiet whisper, holding his breath as he waited for her to reply. Ashley pulled back and stared down at him for a moment before slowly nodding her head.

Resisting the urge just to grab her and pull her down on top of him, Andros sat, and then stood, pulling Ashley to her feet as well before slowly leaning in to brush his lips over hers. After a moment, he felt Ashley deepen the kiss just the slightest bit, and he wrapped his arms around her midriff, trying to give her enough room to pull back should she want to. She didn't step away, and they both began to relax, all too happy to lose themselves in that sweet kiss.


	17. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer:** Power Ranges isn't mine. Please don't sue me.

_**Ashley Hammond/Astro Yellow:** Yeah, you did. Andros is sweet again here. :P_

_**Chylea3784:** For some reason, Tawny really loves that playground... They do get interrupted, but not by Tawny... _

_**Mel:** VIP seats? Cool! Backwards day? Haha..._

Chapter 17

Jeff Hammond teleported himself onto the Megaship using the communicator Andros had presented him the night before, beginning to adjust to the sensation of dematerializing and materializing.

Glancing around, he saw that there was no one in sight, and he stared around helplessly for a few moments before the camera eyes mounted every few feet caught his notice.

"Hi, Deca," he said, slightly unnerved by the fact that he was speaking the the Megaship herself.

"Hello," Deca responded a beat later, her voice cool and somewhat soothing.

"Do you know where Ashley is?"

"Certainly," she replied. "Ashley is on the Simudeck."

"Thanks," Jeff said. He started walking before he had absolutely no clue where or what the Simudeck was. "Um, Deca?"

"The Simudeck is on Megadeck Two." Jeff would have sworn that Deca was laughing. "The Megalift is to your left."

"Uh, thanks."

Several minutes later, Jeff managed to locate the Simudeck, with Deca doing a great deal of the navigation. The doors slid open smoothly, and he stopped short as he saw his little sister wrapped up in Andros's arms, their lips pressed together. Even from a distance Jeff could tell that it was a gentle kiss, not at all demanding, but hadn't Andros told him the night before that he and Ashley weren't together any longer?

Jeff frowned, hoping that Ashley wasn't making a mistake. He himself had seen the look in Andros's eyes the night before when he'd refused to reveal the secret Ashley had kept for so long and he couldn't doubt that Andros loved his sister very much, but at times, the former red ranger appeared very... possessive was a good word, Jeff decided.

He sighed, knowing that if he judged Andros off of the half hour he'd spent with him, Ashley wasn't likely to thank him. Therefore, he kept his thoughts to himself as he approached the pair, clearing his throat loudly to make certain that they noticed his presence.

"Jeff!" Ashley exclaimed, rushing over to him to wrap her arms around him with much more ease than she had the night before. He returned the hug, the fact that the light had returned to Ashley's eyes not escaping his notice.

"Ash, I want to talk to you," he said bluntly, knowing that the words sounded harsh, but needing to say them before he changed his mind and let her continue in her long silence.

"I need to talk to you too," Ashley said distantly. "Um..."

"I'll leave you two alone," Andros announced, glancing around awkwardly for means of escape. "Ash, can I..."

She turned and followed his gaze, smiling genuinely when she saw that his eyes had landed on Tawny, who was still happily amusing herself on the playground Zhane had summoned up for her.

"Go on," she encouraged him, noticing the way his shoulders had tensed up. "You didn't have to ask, you know. She likes you."

Jeff thought that that comment only caused Andros's obvious anxiety to grow more than it helped him to relax, but he kept his mouth shut as Andros wandered away from them, approaching Tawny timidly.

"Ash..."

"I love him," she said defensively, not at all liking the dark look upon her brother's face. "Jeff..."

"I know you do," he said. "But does he love you?"

"Yes," she answered instantly, her tone making it clear that she wasn't going to discuss this any longer. "Um, Jeff..."

"It's all right, Ash," he said as she stalled.

"You asked me, last night, if I knew who... who Tawny's father was," she said, by some miracle keeping her voice steady and even. "I told you I wasn't going to talk about it."

"You don't have to," Jeff said grudgingly. "Not if you can't."

"I think it's time that I finally talked about it," she said quietly.

"Yeah," Jeff agreed. "Ash, who - "

"Will you come with me to the police station?" she asked, her eyes silently begging him. "Andros already said that he would, but I want you there too..."

"Of course I'll go," he assured her, exhaling slowly. "Ash, who was it?"

His sister's hesitation stretched on for several long minutes, during which Jeff couldn't tear his eyes off of her fearful brown ones. An eternity later, Ashley's eyes hardened with determination.

"You're not going to want to believe me," she said sadly, rushing onward before she had the chance to change her mind. "But I swear to you that it's the truth... Jeff, it was Terry."

Silence reigned for perhaps thirty seconds as Ashley's words were slowly processed by her brother's disbelieving mind. Gradually, his face darkened, his eyes widening in horror as the full import of her words hit home.

"What?" he cried. "Ashley..."

"It's the truth," she whispered. "Jeff, I promise you that it's the truth."

"Then why didn't you ever say anything?" Jeff shouted. "Why did you protect him?"

"I wasn't..." Ashley fell silent as tears choked her voice, and bowed her head forward as her brother continued ranting.

"Yes, you were," Jeff insisted, the fury that had bubbled up within him directing itself unwittingly at Ashley. "You kept quiet! You never said anything! Why? What's **wrong** with you? Why didn't you ever say anything?"

"I... I'm sorry," Ashley mumbled, tears leaking out of her eyes despite her best efforts to keep them in, the small droplets cascading down her cheeks. "Jeff, I..."

"I need to think," Jeff said abruptly, turning on his heel and storming from the Simudeck without a backward glance. Ashley's face crumpled as she stared at the spot where her brother had stood a moment before through a haze of her own tears.

"Shh, Ash," she heard a voice whisper in her ear, and she felt Andros pull her into his arms as he spoke. "Don't worry, Ash."

The very sound of his voice was soothing to her and Ashley swallowed hard, trying to control herself enough to speak. It took much longer than she would have liked to admit, but after several minutes, her tears had finally dried up into sniffles.

"I thought he'd believe me," she whispered, her voice much too small for her own liking. "I thought it'd be okay."

"It's going to be okay," Andros promised her, gently rubbing small circles in the junction between her neck and shoulders until he felt her begin to relax. "He does believe you, Ash."

"Then why'd he leave?" she half-wailed, choking as she tried to continue speaking. "Why'd he - "

"He'll be back," Andros assured her, certain that sooner or later, Jeff would return, at least for a more detailed explanation. "It's a lot for him to take in, Ash. He needs some time."

"He's not coming back," Ashley whispered, as though she hadn't heard his words just a moment ago. Andros decided that she probably hadn't.

The instant she felt Andros loosen the hold he had on her, Ashley whimpered quietly before she caught herself and tightened her hold on him, burying her face in his chest as he began to pull away.

"Not you too," she whispered plaintively. "Andros, please don't go."

"I'll be right back," Andros promised her, placing a tender kiss on her forehead before carefully prying himself loose from her death grip.

"Where are you going?" she demanded.

"To find your brother," Andros told her gently. "I'll be back in a few minutes."

He grunted softly as Ashley threw her arms around his neck without a seconds warning, knocking the wind out of him. Not knowing what else he could do, Andros returned the hug, rubbing her back gently until she'd released him of her own accord.

"Thank you," she murmured, giving him one final squeeze as he began to walk away from her.

He did his best to shrug it off. "Anything for you," he said simply, before hurrying off of the Simudeck. "Deca, where is Jeff Hammond?"

Following her directions, he soon caught up with Ashley's brother, who was wandering dazedly through the corrirdors of the Megaship, a blank, stunned look upon his face.

"Jeff," Andros said quietly. It seemed to take hours, but slowly, he turned to face Andros.

"What do you want?"

"Do you believe her?" Andros asked bluntly. "If you don't, there's not much point in you being here, is there?"

Jeff sighed heavily. "Do you?"

"Yes," he answered without a seconds hesitation. "If Ashley tells me something - anything - I trust her to be telling me the truth."

"But if she's telling me what really happened, then why did she never say anything?" Jeff countered. "I don't want to believe her, but I can't not believe her, because, well... I don't know..."

"Because you know that it's true," Andros supplied. He sighed. "You're wondering why she never told you. Because she was afraid that you'd react exactly as you did."

"I didn't - " Jeff began to protest.

"You did," Andros said. "But you can go back. Ashley needs you. You're the only family she has, besides Tawny."

"That's not true," Jeff said. "There's our mother."

Andros glanced down quickly and Jeff's eyes narrowed. Sighing, Andros looked up again. "Your mother..."

"What?" Jeff demanded, growing angry as Andros stalled. "Just tell me!"

He hesitated. "This is for Ashley to tell."

"I don't want to hear it from her!" Jeff cried out. "I don't want to listen while my little sister tells me what the man who should have been her father did to her!"

"I understand that," Andros said patiently, and he did. "But I promised her - "

"What does that matter?" Jeff roared. "You knew, and you let her keep quiet!"

"I don't have the power to control Ashley's actions," Andros said cooly. "And that's not what this is about. She's your sister, and she needs you."

"But I - "

"Do you believe her or not?" Andros demanded.

"I... don't know."

"If you walk away now, you'll never be able to come back," Andros warned him. "Ashley let you in and you betrayed the trust she had in you."

"My room was right next to hers," Jeff whispered. "The walls are about two inches thick. Why didn't I hear anything? Why didn't she scream? I wouldn't have just done nothing!"

"Ask **her** that," Andros suggested. "You love her, don't you?"

"She's my sister!"

"Then be her brother," Andros pleaded.

Jeff let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding and nodded. "I'll talk to her."

Andros nodded, taken aback when Jeff grabbed him by the arm. Sighing, he pulled himself free and turned to look at Ashley's brother. "What?"

"My mother met Terry when I was fifteen," he said, his voice low with urgency. "Ashley was twelve. Did he - "

"No," Andros interrupted quickly, his eyes widening in horror at the thought. "No, she wasn't twelve."

Jeff exhaled slowly with relief, but it was short lived. "He's always hated her," he muttered.

"Why?" Andros couldn't keep himself from asking.

"Ash was always close to our mom," Jeff said slowly. "I should have known!"

"It wasn't your fault," Andros told him quietly. "It wasn't Ashley's fault. It was his."

"Then I should have known something was wrong," Jeff insisted. "For a few months before she ran away, she was so jumpy. She didn't talk. She stopped cheerleading. She stopped singing."

"Singing?"

"Yeah," Jeff said, not noticing Andros's surprise. "And then when she came back, she acted like she always had, so I just thought... I don't know. I guess I thought she'd broken up with the guy who'd gotten her pregnant."

They halted at the doors to the Simudeck. Jeff took a deep breath before entering, stopping short as he came face-to-face with his sister, who was headed out of the Simudeck with Tawny in her arms. Silently, Andros reached out and took the little girl from her mother, slowly backing away to give them some privacy.

"Ashley..."

"You came back?" she asked quietly.

He nodded shamefacedly. "I'm sorry, Ash."

Without a word, Ashley flung her arms around his neck, drawing her brother into a fierce hug. "Thank you."

"For what?" Jeff asked gently. "Coming back?"

Ashley nodded.

"I never should have left," he said quietly.

"Listen to me?" she pleaded. He nodded. Ashley took a deep breath and began to tell her story for the second time.


	18. Chapter 18

**Disclaimer:** Not mine, not mine, not mine.

_**Ashley Hammond/Astro Yellow:** I would have waited, but I had some homework to finish and then Demon stole the Internet so I couldn't get back on... Of course I added it! Why wouldn't I:P_

_**Mz. Daydream:** I made Andros really sweet and perfect in this story. Don't you just love him:P After Tawny was born, Ashley made herself go out with as many guys as she had before, so people wouldn't think something was wrong... Yay! You're the first person to pick up on the whole Andros/Jeff/brother thing... :P Other people show up again in the next chapter, but the rest of the story is probably going to be heavy A/A. _

_**Chylea3784:** Thanks. I was about to have Jeff just break down, but that didn't seem quite right. _

_**Jenny:** Yup, Ashley's opening up. It's all right, you can be lazy just this once. :P _

Chapter 18

Hours later, Ashley left the Angel Grove police station, completely drained. Jeff and Andros were still by her side, and Tawny was safe in Jeff's arms. Ashley's clammy fingers were clamped down around Andros's, as they had been from the moment she'd begun speaking.

"Where are we going?" Jeff was the first to break the heavy silence that had settled over them some time ago.

"The Megaship," Andros said, glancing up at the darkening sky of early autumn. "It's getting late, and you're exhausted, Ash."

"I hungry," Tawny piped up, rubbing her eyes with a small fist.

"We'll have to do something about that, then," Jeff said, bouncing the little girl in his arms. He'd spent a large portion of the last several hours wandering around with her, exploring the police station. Tawny wasn't one to sit still for hours on end, and she didn't need to hear the more graphic details of her mother's story. From the shaken expression on Andros's face that hadn't yet begun to fade, it wasn't something that Jeff was sorry he had missed.

"Mommy?"

"I'm right here, sweetie," Ashley said with a tired sigh, turning her head to reassure her daughter. "We're going home now. We'll get you something to eat there, all right?"

"Okay!" Tawny said cheerfully. "Ice cream?"

"After dinner," Ashley told her. "Don't worry, you'll get something for being such a good girl today."

"Ashley!"

She stopped short, her fingers tightening painfully over Andros's as she heard a familiar voice call out her name. Already on the verge of tears, a few droplets escaped from her eyes, trickling slowly down her cheeks as she searched out to body to which the voice belonged.

"Mom?"

The resemblence between mother and daughter was striking, the only difference being that of age and the cold hatred blazing in Ashley's mother's eyes. Her face wet with tears, she approached her daughter, who slowly backed away, although she refused to look away.

"Mom," Ashley whispered. "I - "

"You little whore," her mother screamed, not bothering to contain her rage. "You had your own stepfather arrested!"

Ashley swallowed, willing herself not to break down now. "I tried to tell you, Mom, years ago. You didn't want to listen."

"I didn't want to listen to lies!" she shouted. "Now you're saying that Terry is your daughter's father?"

"Yes," she whispered, her voice cracking. Feeling her distress, Andros squeezed her fingers harder, and Jeff inched closer to her, positioning himself between his sister and his mother. Drawing her strength from them, Ashley continued. "Tawny is Terry's daughter."

"You lying little whore," her mother breathed. "Why would you say something like that?"

"Because it's true," Ashley mumbled, her voice growing meeker, but her eyes still locked onto those of her mother. "Mom, Terry raped me."

She knew the slap was coming, and lowered her head to brace herself, but the stinging blow never came. Instead, she felt Andros release her hand and step in front of her, his hand lashing out to fasten itself around her mother's.

"Mrs. Hammond, your husband raped your daughter," he told her cooly. "If you don't want to accept that, no one is forcing you to, but you will not speak to her this way and you will not hit her."

"Mom," Jeff said, handing Tawny back to her mother as he took a step forward to stand beside Andros. "I know you don't want to believe this. I don't either, but-"

"Jeff?" He groaned at the baffled look on his mother's face. "What are you doing here? Why are you with her? You don't actually believe this, do you?"

"Yes," he said sadly. "I don't want to, but I do. We should have seen it, Mom."

"Seen what?" she cried. "That your sister's a whore?"

Andros's hazel eyes flashed dangerously and he took a menacing step forward. "If you call her that one more time-"

"Enough," Jeff said sharply, placing a hand on his chest to force him back. "Andros, calm down."

"No, let him talk," she objected, looking past her son to glare at the man standing beside her daughter. "Now it all makes sense."

"What does?" Jeff demanded.

"Don't you see, Jeff?" she said plaintively, pleading with him to see reason and side with her. "She needed a way to explain Tawny without telling the truth, without admitting that she's slept with every boy she's known since she was fourteen!"

"No, Mom," he said quietly. "That's not how this happened."

"It is," she insisted, her eyes filling with tears that streamed down her already wet face. "Jeff, you have to believe me. I can't lose you too."

"Then believe **me**," Ashley whispered, stepping past the protective shield of Jeff and Andros, clutching Tawny to her as she faced her mother. "Listen to me now, Mom, and we'll be okay again. Please Mom, just listen to me."

"Grandma!" Tawny struggled to reach out to her grandmother, but her mother held her to tightly for her to do so, and her grandma ignored her small voice. "Grandma?"

"I'll never listen to your lies," her mother spat, glaring at her daughter, and then her son. "You choose her?"

"If you make me choose," he said sadly, draping an arm over his sister's shoulder. "If you make me choose, Mom, then I choose Ashley."

"I hate you," she breathed in Ashley's face. Turning on her heel, she stalked away without a backward glance.

"Why Grandma leave?"

"Because Grandpa did something so bad that Grandma won't believe he did it," Jeff said after a long stretch of silence, knowing that the explanation was too much for Tawny to handle, but unable to simplify it any further.

"Come on," Andros said, feeling a sudden urgency to return to the calm quiet of the Megaship. "Let's get out of here... Deca, teleport four."

_I should have known,_ Ashley thought bitterly, watching the Megaship materialize around her with a sense of detatched numbness. Deep in her heart, she knew that she had lost her mother the moment she'd woken in the middle of the night to find Terry standing over her, but she had never accepted the fact until just now.

"Ash?"

She was jolted from her thoughts to see both Jeff and Andros peering at her in concern and sorrow. Exhaling slowly, she moved to wrap her arms around both of them as best she could without dropping Tawny in the process, eternally grateful for their love.

"Ash, you're falling asleep," Jeff said a moment later, plucking Tawny out of her arms. "Go to bed. We'll take care of this little monster."

"In a minute," she said distantly. "Deca, is anyone else here?"

"Zhane, Karone, and Carlos are currently onboard the Megaship," Deca replied. "They are in the glider bay."

"Thanks," Ashley said, heading towards the Megalift, feeling Andros and Jeff hurry after her. "I want to tell them now."

"Ash, you don't have to," Andros was quick to say, but she shook her head.

"I want to get this over with."

Determined as she was, Ashley still hesitated at the entrance ot the glider bay. Andros and Jeff said nothing as she stalled, simply waiting patiently, but Tawny strained forward against Jeff's arms, whining for food.

"All right," Ashley agreed in a whisper. "You can eat now, Tawny."

"Hey, guys." Carlos was the only one facing them, and he smiled in greeting. "Hey, Tawny."

"Hi." Tawny glanced at him briefly, and then pointed to the Synthetron. "Food!"

"If you can call that food," Karone said dryly. "Hey, Ash, TJ moved all his stuff back down into his uncle's house, so if you need the room, we're under orders from Cassie to decorate it according to Tawny's taste."

"Oh," she said, startled. "Actually... that's great. I hadn't even thought of that."

Karone frowned at her flat tone. "What's wrong?"

"I, um..." Ashley paused and took a deep breath. "I went down to the police station today."

"Police?" Zhane repeated. "For what, Ash?"

"To have our stepfather arrested for rape," Jeff told them when Ashley faltered and looked to him, pleading silently.

"Stepfather?" Carlos repeated dimly. "Ash, he was the one who-"

"Yes," she interrupted. "He was."

"You know, Ash, you should get some sleep," Zhane said hastily, before Carlos had the chance to respond. "You look exhausted."

Andros shot his best friend a look of immense gratitude as he carefully wrapped an arm around Ashley's waist. "I'll walk you to your room?"

He phrased the sentence as a question, silently asking for her permission to remain by her side. Ashley nodded her head yes, kissing Tawny good night before allowing Andros to lead her through the Megaship to her room.

They walked slowly, and in complete silence, both of them lost in their own thoughts, but Andros didn't once release her until they had paused outside of her bedroom door.

"Good night, then," he said quietly, wrapping his other arm around her as well, pulling her into a loose hug. He drew back before she did, and was slightly taken aback when she threw her arms around his neck a moment later.

"Thank you," she whispered in his ear. "For staying with me all that time."

"Anything for you," he whispered back, rubbing her shoulders gently. "I love you, Ash."

"I love you," she said, her voice muffled by a yawn.

"Try to get some sleep," he said softly, brushing a few stray hairs out of her eyes. The familiar gesture was so comforting that it took nearly all of her willpower not to throw herself back into his arms and cling to him desperately. "Good night, Ash."

"Night," she mumbled sleepily, turning and stumbling into her bedroom. Andros exhaled slowly stared at her closed door, unmoving as time slipped by. His head didn't turn until he saw Jeff, with Tawny in his arms, appear at his side.

"Which room did they say was hers?"

"TJ's old room," Andros said, finally tearing his eyes away from Ashley's door. "It's the one next door."

"Thanks... whoa!"

With a sudden burst of energy, Tawny suddenly reached out to Andros with enough force that she nearly tumbled down out of her uncle's arms. Andros reached out slowly and took her from Jeff, his hesitation even more obvious now than it had been earlier that morning when he'd approached the little girl on the Simudeck.

Startled at the look of near panic that he saw flash briefly across Andros's face as Tawny wrapped her small arms around his neck, Jeff sighed, knowing that it wasn't really his place to do so, but wanting to question Andros again about how he felt about Ashley and Tawny.

"I love Ashley," Andros said suddenly, correctly interpreting the look on Jeff's face.

"How do I know that's the truth?" he challenged, wondering briefly what he wanted to hear.

Andros readjusted his hold on Tawny and shrugged. "You don't," he said finally. "But if you don't trust me when I say that I do, Ashley and Tawny lose the only family they have left."

"I don't suppose there's a chance that she'd choose me," Jeff said, surprised by the bitterness he heard in his own voice.

"If you made her choose, I think she'd choose me," Andros said hesitantly. "If I made her choose, I know she'd choose you."

"Then we won't make her choose," Jeff decided, eyeing Andros warily. "I don't know yet if I should trust you, but I know that Ashley does, so you had better not hurt her."

_So this is how Zhane felt,_Andros thought wryly. He nodded, setting Tawny down gently on the floor and motioning for her to explore her new bedroom. She went eagerly, unaware of the awkward silence she left Andros and Jeff in.

"I will never intentionally hurt Ashley," Andros said quietly, his eyes flickering towards her closed door. "I will never intentionally hurt Tawny."

"That's not good enough," Jeff insisted, stepping closer to him. "They're my family!"

"And it's too late for you to protect them," Andros said evenly, his gaze steady. "All the damage has been done, and there's nothing you can do about it, no matter how much you might want to."

Jeff sighed, knowing that Andros was right. "Then promise me one thing."

Andros eyed him warily and said nothing, waiting for him to go on. As the silence stretched on, Tawny ran back out of the room, her small hands grabbing at Andros's legs until he scooped her back up into his arms.

"Promise me that you'll be a better father to Tawny than Terry was to Ashley."

Andros remained silent and unmoving for several minutes, his mind struggling to grasp the fact that as far as Jeff was concerned, and probably Ashley as well, he was now responsible for the life and happiness of the little girl he was holding.

_I can't do this,_ his mind wailed, his heart racing wildly. _I don't know what I'm doing! What was I thinking? What was Ashley thinking?_

Then Tawny squirmed, pillowing her head against his shoulder, and Andros knew that he was in too deep to turn back now. If he were to run now, he would spend every moment of the remainder of his life crying over what could have been.

Jeff's words continued ringing in his ears, and Andros realized that, more than anything else, it was the use of the word 'father' that frightened him. While that was what he would become if he remained at Ashley's side, his mind drifted back to the darkness that had been his childhood, and the terror he felt every time he laid eyes on the two people that were supposed to love him more than anyone else.

Silently vowing that he would never let the past repeat itself in him, Andros slowly nodded.

"I promise."


	19. Chapter 19

**Disclaimer:** Power Rangers is not mine in any way... yet.

_**Ashley Hammond/Astro Yellow:** Don't kill me! Here's more. _

_**Mel:** Yup, that's right. :P_

_**Chylea3784:** Thanks._

_**C.C.C:** I needed to have Jeff stop Andros, or else this story would become way to complicated. :P Andros and Terry will see each other's faces during the trial, but I haven't written that far ahead yet, so we'll see. _

**Author's Note:** I know, well, abosolutely nothing about the law, and I'm making this up as I go along to fit what I want to happen with this story... so if anything happens later on and is accurate, that's completely unintentional.

Chapter 19

"Months?" Ashley repeated weakly, her fingers clenching around the telephone. "All right... thank you."

"Ash?" Cassie gave her a questioning look as she slowly dropped the receiver back down into the cradle and sank into the center seat on the bridge. "What happened?"

"Nothing major will happen for months," she said distantly. "The courts and the lawyers... I don't know! They want to know if there was anyone else, besides me. He has to be arraigned. He has to plead guilty or not guilty. I don't even know what that means!"

She was shouting now, her voice trembling with both fear and anger, two emotions that she had become too well acquainted with in the week since she'd gathered the courage to walk into the Angel Grove police headquarters and give them her statement.

"Hey, it'll be all right," Cassie assured her, wrapping an arm around the shoulders of her distraught friend. "This way, you'll have a few months to prepare yourself."

"I don't want a few months!" Ashley cried. "I want this over with!"

"I know you do," Cassie said soothingly. "We all do, and if there was anything that we could do to make this go any faster, then we would, but that won't happen, Ash."

Ashley let out a shaky breath and tried to force a smile. "I know you would... Thanks, Cass."

"What else are best friends good for?" Cassie said with a weak grin of her own. "You'll be all right, Ash."

Her confidence was encouraging, and Ashley couldn't help but agree with her, although she still had her doubts. Noticing her expression, Cassie decided it was time for a change of topic.

"Where's Tawny at, anyway?"

"With Jeff and Andros," Ashley replied, her smile no longer forced. "She's been cooped up in here for a month, so they took her down to Angel Grove for awhile."

"And let you hide up here," Cassie finished.

"Yeah..." Ashley shifted uncomfortably.

"Ash, you've left the Megaship once in the last month."

"I know," she muttered. "But I..."

"Ash, just listen to me," Cassie insisted gently. "You've been here for a month. If that's what you needed to start working through everything, then that's not so bad, but you said yourself that nothing's going to happen for months. Do you really want to still be here three months from now? Six months?"

"I don't want to be here now," Ashley admitted. "Except I... it's safe here."

"It is," Cassie agreed. "But if we were to go down and find Andros and Jeff and Tawny, I'd bet you anything that they'd keep you safe too."

"I know they would." Ashley sighed and looked away before muttering, "I just can't ask them to."

Cassie sighed and sat down, swiveling Ashley's chair around to face hers. "Look," she said firmly. "If you went to Andros and asked him to hold your hand through the next four or five months, do you know what he'd do? He'd take both your hands, wrap his arms around you, and never let go."

"I know he would," Ashley said, a faint smile gracing her face. "I don't want him to, Cassie. I need him, and I know it, but I don't want to be helpless every minute that he's not with me. I don't want to have to run to him crying every time I get scared. I don't want to be that weak."

"Okay," Cassie sighed. "First of all, wasn't the first thing you taught Andros that it's not weakness to admit you need someone? Second, you're **not** helpless without him. I remember you before you knew him, and you were just as strong as you are now, Ash."

"I'm not," Ashley insisted. "I couldn't even tell the police what happened without him holding my hand!"

"Have you noticed," Cassie countered, "that whenever Andros talks about his past, he can't do it without you holding his hand?"

"Yeah," Ashley admitted after a brief moment of hesitation. "But - "

"No buts," Cassie said firmly. "You need him, and he needs you. You're both strong, but stronger with each other."

"Cassie..." Ashley glanced up at her best friend helplessly, out of arguments.

"Come on," Cassie said suddenly, standing up and tugging on Ashley's arm. "Let's get out of here."

"I - "

"Ash, if all you think about for the next five months is the trial, you're going to drive yourself insane," Cassie pointed out. "Remember what you always said about living for the moment?"

"Yeah..." Ashley sighed. "Where are we going?"

Cassie smirked, and it suddenly occured to Ashley that her friend had been plotting for some time. "We," she said, "are going to go down to Angel Grove, see if your daughter has left us anything of Andros and Jeff, and then Andros is taking the two of you out for the afternoon."

Something in Cassie's tone prompted Ashley to ask suspiciously, "Does he know that?"

"Nope," Cassie replied cheerfully. "Now, hurry up so we can go tell him that he's expected to take you shopping and then to lunch."

"Shopping?" Ashley repeated weakly. "But..."

"But there's other people there?" Cassie finished. "Look, Ash, you've got to make some choices here. You can run and hide, or you can try to make the most of what you've got, and you've got a lot, Ash. If anyone wonders who Tawny is, you can ignore them, tell them that it's none of their damn business, or just tell them that this is your daughter and keep walking... And I've never known you to be one to hide, Ash."

Ashley sighed. Cassie was right; she couldn't hide forever. Nodding her head slowly, she gave her best friend a half grateful, half reluctant smile and stood up, stretching her arms above her head.

"Just let me go get dressed."

Ashley left the bridge quickly, the prospect of spending some time elsewhere appealing to her no matter what she had said to Cassie earlier. Besides that, she had yet to spend any time with Andros and Tawny together, and she wanted badly to do so.

Glaring at her clothes, she grabbed the first pair of jeans she saw and wriggled into them as quickly as she could. Stuffing her feet into a pair of shoes, she dragged a brush through her hair a few times and snatched up a zip-up sweatshirt on her way out the door. She knew she looked far from beautiful, but her appearance wasn't the first thing on her mind at the moment.

"Took you long enough," Cassie exclaimed as she reentered the bridge. "Now, come on, let's go!"

Slightly startled by her enthusiasm, Ashley shrugged and followed her friend down to Angel Grove, not at all surprised when they landed in the park. The day was overcast, but there werer still a number of children crowded around the playground. A quick glance told them that Tawny wasn't among those children, and they started off in search of her.

It didn't take long to spot Andros's unique hair, but apparently he had spotted them first. One hand wrapped around Tawny's, he was heading towards them at a slow enough pace for Tawny to keep up with him.

"Hi," Ashley said softly, wondering why she was suddenly struck shy. Andros smiled at her in return, and opened his mouth to say something, but Tawny beat him to it.

"Mommy!"

"Hey, Andros, can I talk to you?"

Cassie dragged him to the side as Ashley bent down to scoop Tawny up into her arms. Tawny wasted no time in wrapping her arms around Ashley's neck, nearly strangling her with the hug.

"Did you have fun with Uncle Jeff and Andros?" she asked. Tawny nodded, looking sad for a moment.

"Uncle Jeff go to... c - cl..."

"Class?" Ashley suggested when Tawny frowned in frustration. She nodded.

"What that?"

"It's where Uncle Jeff goes to learn things," Ashley explained. "He wants to be a doctor."

"What a doctor?"

"Doctors take care of sick people," Ashley told her. "When you're sick, they make you feel better."

"Oh." Tawny paused thoughtfully. "Mommy? What you wanna be?"

Ashley winced, and sighed. "I don't know yet, sweetie."

"Oh."

Ashley decided it was time for a change of topic. "Guess what? We're going shopping today!"

"What shopping?" Tawny asked, her eyes lighting up at her mother's tone. "Is it fun?"

"Lots of fun," Ashley assured her, her eyes flickering towards Andros with a grin. "We'll buy you a whole lot of new clothes."

"Okay!" Tawny said enthusiastically. "I want clothes!"

Ashley laughed. "Don't worry, we'll get you some... Do you have to go to the bathroom?"

Tawny squirmed. "No?"

"Yes," Ashley decided. "Come on."

By the time they returned to the spot where they had left Andros and Cassie talking, only Andros remained there, staring off into space as he waited for them to return. His mind was far enough away that he didn't seem to hear them approach, and jumped slightly when Ashley laid a hand on his arm.

"Hi," she said.

He didn't say anything in reply, but instead reached out, wrapping his arms around both of them. Ashley smiled and leaned against him for several minutes, relaxing with much more ease than she'd expected.

"Have fun?" she asked him.

"Well... we're all still alive," he answered her dryly. He paused. "I'm supposed to take you shopping?"

She laughed a little apologetically. "It was Cassie's idea."

Andros shifted his grip a little to let Tawny squirm out of their arms and she felt him kiss the top of her head. "If I'd known that that's all it takes to get out of your room, I'd have taken you weeks ago."

Ashley smiled a little at the timid joke. "It's not that," she said softly. "Cassie said a few things that made me want to stop hiding."

"Remind me to thank her later," he said softly, pulling back to grab Tawny just as she began to wander away. "She and TJ are meeting us for lunch, if that's all right with you."

"Of course it is," she assured him, smiling at the thought of her friend finally together with TJ. "Come on, Tawny."

"We going now?"

"We sure are," Ashley said. "Tell Andros thank you."

"And-ros?" Tawny repeated slowly, her tongue stumbling over the name.

"That's his name," Ashley said, gesturing over at Andros.

"No," Tawny said with a shake of her head. "Funny hair."

Ashley choked, the startled look on Andros's face making her laugh harder. "He does have funny hair," she agreed. "But I like it."

"It funny," Tawny insisted.

"No," Ashley said suddenly, grinning wickedly. "It's pretty."

"Pretty?" Tawny wrinkled her nose. "Pretty hair?"

Andros was blushing by now, his cheeks a brighter red than his T-shirt, although he was smiling reluctantly. Ashley couldn't resist tugging on his ponytail, running her fingers through the ends of his hair as he tried hard to glare at her, but didn't quite manage. Still laughing, she hugged him hard, breathing a silent thank you to Cassie for convincing her to let go, even if it was just for these few minutes.


	20. Chapter 20

**Disclaimer:** The Power Rangers are Disney's, not mine, but let me know when they're for sale.

_**Ashley Hammond/Astro Yellow:** Yup, you've got funny hair now too. :P Hope this part is just as cute. _

_**Chylea3784:** I haven't quite decided what will happen to Terry yet. He's definitely going to prison, but I've been toying with an idea for a sequel, so we'll see what happens, but one way or another, he'll get what he deserves. _

_**Jenny:** I love Andros's hair... Anyway, here's more. :P_

_**GreenDayfan1:** I'm not quite sure where they went shopping, but I think it's safe to say Andros spent a whole lot of money. :P_

Chapter 20

"Bedtime story?" Tawny asked hopefully, her brown eyes round and begging. "I not tired!"

"Of course you get a bedtime story," Ashley exclaimed with a smile. "You've been a good girl today."

"That's what you think," Andros muttered just loud enough to be heard. Ashley wrinkled her nose at him and he shot her an innocent smile, reaching past her to scoop Tawny up in his arms, planting a kiss on her forehead before plopping her down into her mother's arms.

"Night," Ashley said softly, shifting Tawny to one side in order to wrap on arm around Andros's neck for a few moments.

"Night, Ash." He kissed the tip of her nose before reaching out to ruffle Tawny's hair affectionately. "Night, Tawny."

"You not coming?" Tawny pouted.

"I..." Unsure of what to say, Andros let his voice trail off.

"Tawny, Andros has things he needs to do," Ashley said quickly, sensing his unease. "He'll still be here in the morning."

"He not coming?"

"I'll come," Andros said quickly as Tawny's lower lip quivered. "If it's all right with your mommy."

"Of course it is," Ashley said and Tawny's crestfallen face immediately brightened.

Ashley couldn't help but marvel at how easily Tawny had latched onto Andros, and how willing he had been to let her do so, once he'd gotten over the initial shyness that had appeared to strike him every time he was in the same room as the little girl.

Two months after Ashley had finally turned to the police, Andros was still at her side, and whatever hidden worries she had that he would one day leave were beginning to fade away. If he had any intentions of leaving her, would he spend nearly every waking moment with the two of them?

"Ash?"

She jumped visibly as Andros spoke, his voice startling her out of her thoughts. He gave her an amused smile and slipped an arm around her waist as they left the glider bay, the remains of their dinner still on the table.

"What story do you want to hear tonight?" Ashley asked, keying Tawny's door open. Setting her down onto the bed, she dug through the drawers until she came across some pajamas. Once Tawny was changed, Ashley repeated the question, not having gotten an answer the first time.

"Me thinking," Tawny said, scrunching up her nose in thought. A moment later, her face cleared, and she pointed to where Andros was hovering behind Ashley. "He tell story."

"You want me to tell you a story?"

Tawny nodded.

"I... don't know how?"

"You won't tell story?" Tawny looked about to cry again.

"I'm sorry," Andros mumbled, and Ashley realized suddenly that he truly looked it.

"Here," she said quietly, turning and plucking a book off of the dresser. "Would you read this to her?"

He gave her a shy smile but nodded instantly, glancing down at the book's cover as they somehow managed to squash the three of them together on the bed. He raised an eyebrow and gave Ashley a skeptical look.

"Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs?"

She laughed. "It's a fairy tale," she explained. "You'll see."

He shrugged, but opened the book and began to read. "Once upon a time..."

"... The end."

"Again!" Tawny cried. "More!"

"It's late, Tawny," Ashley said, gently shifting Tawny onto the mattress. "We'll see you in the morning."

"I want story!"

"Not now, Tawny," Ashley said patiently, but more firmly. "Tomorrow."

"Now!"

"No," Ashley said firmly as Tawny stifled a yawn. "You're falling asleep."

"I am not," she mumbled, her eyes drooping.

Andros hid a smile. "Night, Tawny."

Her eyes opened suddenly and she crawled over Ashley's lap to where Andros sat on the edge of the bed. He looked surprised at the hug he received, but returned it without hesitation, freezing as the words the girl whispered in his ear registered in his mind.

"Love you."

"I... love you too," Andros whispered back, his voice oddly choked. "Good night."

"Night," she mumbled, her eyes closing once again. "Love you, Mommy."

"I love you too," Ashley whispered. "I'll see you in the morning."

As soon as Tawny was tucked in for the night, Andros and Ashley slipped out of the room quietly, not wanting to soothe her back into sleep should they wake her. In the brighter lights of the hall, Ashley could see that Andros was smiling broadly, and she couldn't keep herself from flinging her arms around his neck.

"Ash," he whispered, his breath warm on her ear. "Did she really say that?"

"She did," Ashley assured him, smiling brightly though she knew he couldn't see her. "She loves you, Andros."

The only response she received was the tightening of his arms around her. Ashley began to suspect that he was much more emotional than he was letting on, and was ready to swear that there were tears gleaming in his eyes when he drew back. The smile he gave her was a wide grin, but it was the look in his eyes that caused her to suddenly understand.

"You're not used to hearing that, are you?"

He shook his head no. "I've only heard it from three people."

"Karone, Tawny, and me?" Ashley guessed, not at all shocked when he nodded. "Andros, you do know that there are more than three people who love you?"

"I know," he assured her, speaking to somewhere over her right ear as he pulled her back into his arms. "There's all the rest of the team."

"Yeah," she agreed. "And the half of the universe whose lives you've saved."

Andros laughed a little, but when he spoke, his tone was serious. "Ash? Is it... selfish of me to want them to not love me?"

"The half of the universe, you mean?" she asked, and he nodded. Ashley rolled her eyes, but said nothing for a long time. "I was just joking, Andros... but no, it's not. Why - "

"Because I could never love them all back," he explained, drawing away to gently cherish her cheek with one thumb. His hazel eyes were uncharacteristically intense as he continued with, "Ash... the people I love, they're the ones I'd die to protect. I couldn't die for someone I didn't know, not anymore, because I... I couldn't leave you behind."

"Andros..." At a complete loss for words, Ashley simply stared at him, nearly driven to tears. He shifted and she stepped back into his embrace, her eyes sliding shut as she clung to his neck.

"Ash?" he whispered.

"Mmm?" she mumbled lazily, perfectly content in his arms.

"Come with me?" he asked.

Ashley opened her eyes at that, and nodded, her eyes gleaming happily. "I'd love to. Where are we going?"

"Umm..." Andros thought for a moment and shrugged. "Anywhere you want."

"Observatory," she said instantly, threading her fingers through his as he slipped his hand into hers. He was still smiling as they made their way across the Megaship hand in hand, and Ashley realized for the first time just how much Andros had changed from the sullen red ranger that had discovered four tresspassers aboard his ship.

Andros settled himself down on the couch. She joined him, curling up at his side. He wasted no time in wrapping his arms around her, securely but not too firmly, just in case she chose to pull back quickly.

"You're so sweet, Andros," she said aloud, pillowing her head on his shoulder.

"I am?" He sounded so uncertain. It broke her heart that he couldn't see all the good in himself and she hugged him a little closer, willing him to realize how much he meant to her.

"Yes," she said firmly. "You've changed so much since I first met you."

"You changed me," he told her, adding nervously, "I never thanked you for saving me, did I?"

"Andros..." she whispered, hiding her face against his shoulder as she blinked furiously. "Please stop talking."

"Did I say something wrong?"

"No," Ashley exclaimed. "Of course you didn't."

"Then why can't I talk?"

"Because that's the third time tonight you've almost made me cry," she whispered almost in his ear. When he brushed his lips over her temple, she nearly lost the battle with herself and clung to him as she somehow swallowed down her unshed tears.

Ashley knew how badly Andros wanted their relationship to go back to the way it had been before she had told him her story. They had been so close, so comfortable around each other that it wouldn't have been long before they became lovers.

But things had changed in the last two months, and though they were on the couch, curled up in each other's arms, Andros was simply holding her, but he wanted to do much more. He was, so far, successful at hiding his desire, but Ashley didn't have to be told that it was there to know it existed, and the fact that he never pressured her for anything she wasn't ready to give just made her love him all the more.

_I hate him,_ she thought bitterly, burrowing her face into Andros's chest. _I hate that I feel his hands on me whenever Andros touches me. I hate that I can't kiss the man I love without remembering something I tried so hard to forget. He took everything from me, but somehow, Andros is still here, still wanting me, telling me that everything will be okay._

Ashley sighed, nuzzling her face deeper into Andros as she tried to relax, tried to forget. It had been becoming easier and easier to do so, but a trial date had been set for a month later, and Ashley was painfully aware of how quickly that day was approaching.

"It's all right," Andros murmured, briefly toying with the ends of her hair. "You don't need to worry, Ash."

Not bothering to ask just how he always seemed to know exactly what was on her mind, Ashley tightened her arms around his midsection, forcing a great deal of air out of his body. Andros shifted until she loosened her hold, but wrapped his own arms around her. He kissed the top of her head, and she smiled, the smile fading as she gathered the courage to ask a question that had been plaguing her for some time.

"Andros?"

His hazel eyes focused on hers intently. When she hesitated to go on, he carefully held her without a word, waiting patiently for her to complete the question.

"Are you a virgin?"

He nodded without looking at her. His body was beginning to tense up, and Ashley sighed, abandoning the conversation before she had the opportunity to make him more uneasy than she already had.

"I was just wondering," she said hastily. "Never mind."

"Ash, you were my first kiss," he told her quietly as she fell silent.

Ashley stared at him in surprise, suddenly wishing that she could say the same back to him. She couldn't even remember who she had shared her first kiss with, not because she'd had more boyfriends than she could keep track of, but because those relationships were completely meaningless compared to the bond she shared now with Andros.

"Did I... did I say something wrong?"

"What?" Andros's voice pulled her back to reality and she blinked a few times before answering. "No, of course not."

"Then what's the matter?" Andros gave her a knowing look.

"Andros..." She stopped and sighed. "Doesn't it bother you that I... that I'm not... not pure?"

"You're wrong," he said softly. Taking her hand, he twined their fingers together, running his thumb slowly over her own. "You are pure."

"How can I be?" Ashley sounded close to tears now. "How can you say that when you know what happened to me?"

"Because it's true," he said firmly, placing a tender kiss on the back of her hand.

Ashley's eyes chose that moment to overflow and she choked back a sob. Dropping her hand, Andros slipped both his arms back around her, pulling her close as she struggled to control herself.

"Don't cry," Andros pleaded, stroking her hair until she quieted. Caught in the warmth and safety of his arms, it didn't take long for Ashley to calm. Once she had, he continued, his voice still gentle, but too firm for her to doubt that he meant every word that he spoke to her. "Everything that's good is in you, Ash, and no one can ever take that away from you."

"That's not what I meant by pure," she whispered. "I meant - "

"I know what you meant," he interrupted, exhaling slowly. "That wasn't enough of an answer for you?"

She shook her head no, unable to stand the love she knew was shining in his eyes. "Andros, I..."

"Are you still afraid I don't want you?"

Somehow, his voice was still kind and gentle, but Ashley couldn't fathom why. He'd spent his every moment with her, and she still doubted his love for her. Suddenly too ashamed of herself to look him in the eye, she glanced down at her hands, only to find herself eye to eye with Andros as he tilted her face up to his.

"I'm sorry, Andros," she whispered, swallowing hard. "I love you, I really do, and I know you love me. I'm just..."

"Scared," Andros finished for her, holding her a little closer to him. "I know you are. It's all right."

"Why?" she whispered. "Why do you always understand?"

"Because it's you," he whispered back, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. "I'll tell you as many times as you need to hear it to believe it, Ash. I'll always love you. I'll always want you, and there's nothing that can change that."

"I love you," she breathed into his ear, clinging to his neck. Her hold on him loosened a little as he began rubbing her back and shoulders gently, letting her relax against him. "Andros?"

Her voice was suddenly small. Andros sighed softly, stroking her soft hair with one hand, silently waiting for her to go on, knowing that if he spoke now, he was likely to frighten away whatever she was struggling to tell him.

"Do you think... think that... think that I'm his?" she stammered.

"No!" Andros exclaimed forcefully. His eyes narrowed but his voice softened as he continued. "Is that what he told you?"

She nodded silently, wondering how he knew.

"What else did he tell you?"

"What?" Ashley looked at him in dismay. "You want to know - "

"No," he was quick to say. "Nothing that hurts too much for you to say. Just... anything that you still believe, if you can."

"He told me I deserved it," she admitted after a pause, trembling with rage, although Andros had a sneaking suspicion that it was with herself she was angry. "He told me that I was a horrible person... and I believed him."

"Do you still believe him?" he questioned her gently.

"I... don't know," she answered honestly. "Sometimes..."

Her voice trailed off into a heavy sigh, but Andros said nothing, sensing that there was more to come. Ashley stared at her hands, twirling the ends of her brown hair between her fingers, but very quietly, she added, "I thought I was being punished for something that I had done... but I didn't know what it was that I had done. I thought I must have done something awful... because it hurt so much..."

Her voice dissolved into tears, and she clung to him, the pain dredged up by the memories more agonizing than anything else she'd ever felt, but somehow, the hurt was dulled as Andros held her.

"But what hurts the most is that I believed him," she whispered shakily. "And when he didn't stop, I felt like... I had to punish myself too. I wouldn't let myself eat. I stopped doing everything that I loved. I wouldn't even let myself talk."

Andros clenched his teeth in an effort to keep the fury raging within him from breaking free and turning itself on Ashley by mistake. Swallowing hard, he kissed her cheek, silently vowing that if he ever came across Terry alone, he was going to see to it that the monster paid dearly for what he'd done to Ashley.

"Jeff told me that you used to sing," he said quietly, hesitantly. "You stopped because of him, didn't you?"

She nodded slowly. "I still can't sing," she whispered softly, her lower lip quivering. "It's just... gone. I don't think that it'll ever come back."

"Ash..." Andros stared at her sadly for a long moment, wishing that he could somehow give back to her everything that had been taken away. A few tears spilled out of her closed eyes. Wiping her cheeks dry with his fingers, Andros held her silently for a long time before speaking hesitantly, not at all sure that he wanted an answer.

"Was there anything else?"

"He said it every time..." she mumbled. "He said that I'd always be his... because I'd never been anyone else's."

"Ash, listen to me," Andros told her quietly, his voice concealing the sudden surge of anger that had welled up within him. "What he took from you has to be given freely. You are nobody's, and you will never belong to anyone who doesn't belong to you."

She stared at him, speechless, tears glistening in her eyes unshed. His fingers brushed her cheek gently, wiping away the few tears that escaped her eye. Suddenly freed from the enormous weight that had been slowly crushing her for so long, Ashley wrapped both her arms around his neck, squeezing him hard.

"Thank you," she whispered, clinging to him. Taking a deep breath, she murmured, "I'll never be anybody's but yours."

"And I'll never be anybody's but yours," he promised her quietly, trying to keep the longing he felt for her out of his tone and eyes. He knew Ashley was far from ready for anything more than the promise they had just made to each other, and he had several doubts about himself, but that didn't keep his mind and body from crying out for her.

Ashley hesitated. "Andros? What did we just... did we..."

"Don't worry, Ash," he said, burying his face in her soft, sweet-smelling hair. "I'm not asking for anything you can't give. I'm not sure that I could, either... But... but I'll wait as long as I have to. I'm never leaving you, Ashley. I can't live without you anymore. I think I'll need you for the rest of my life."

"I can't live without you either," she whispered, frowing slightly as she thought about his words. "Andros? You're not asking me to marry you, are you?"

"No," he said almost too softly to be heard, his voice growing even quieter as he added almost silently, "Not yet."

Ashley smiled, her face buried in his chest as she hugged him close. Andros had his arms around her, keeping her safe and warm, and for now, that was all that mattered.


	21. Chapter 21

**Disclaimer:** So not mine.

_**Ashley Hammond/Astro Yellow:** Andros is generally incredibly sweet throughtout the entire story. :P Hep B vaccines are for life? Then why the heck did I have to get three of them! (I hate shots.)_

_**Jenny:** Of course it was. :P But what else is he gonna do?_

Chapter 21

Ashley glanced at the digital clock at her bedside as she slipped silently out of bed, her bare feet padding softly on the cool floor. The bright red numbers told her that it was nearly eleven thirty, but sleep still eluded her, as she suspected it would for the remainder of the night. Exhausted as she was, sleep was not something that she looked favorably upon at the moment. Asleep she was defenseless against even herself, and the continual onslaught of nightmares had been growing steadily worse as tomorrow approached.

The door slid open and then shut with a quiet, familiar noise that Ashley found somehow soothing. Leaving her room behind, she set off down the corridor. She had no real idea of where she was headed to; she only knew that she couldn't remain in her room for a moment longer.

Voices wafting down the corridor drew her to the glider bay, where Carlos and Zhane sat at a table piled high with midnight snacks. Ashley said nothing for several minutes, and simply stared at the back of Zhane's blond head, jumping when Carlos noticed her hovering near the doorway.

"Ash," he gasped. "You're going to give me a heart attack!"

"Sorry," she mumbled.

"Don't just stand there," Zhane admonished her, gesturing to the seat at his side. "Come in."

"No," Ashley protested. "I didn't mean to interrupt..."

"You're not," Zhane insisted. "Come on, get in here."

"It's all right, really," she muttered, but didn't pull away when Zhane jumped up and guided her into the room.

"Can't sleep?"

She shook her head no. "I don't want to."

"I can understand that," Carlos offered. "With the trial starting tomorrow and all..."

"Yeah," she mumbled. Zhane shot Carlos a warning look over the top of Ashley's head, gesturing for him to shut his mouth before he said something he'd later regret. Ashley remained completely oblivious to the communication that passed between the two of them and gazed blankly at a spot on the wall behind Carlos.

"Ashley?"

When she didn't respond to his voice, Zhane laid a hand on her arm, rearing back as she jumped. He hadn't frightened her, he realized. He'd just startled her. Narrowing his blue eyes, he leaned in, getting a good look at her face for the first time in days.

"Ash, when was the last time you had any sleep?"

Ashley shrugged her shoulders in reply. Zhane doubted she'd heard him in the first place. He sighed.

"Ash, go back to bed."

An instant shake of her head was the only reply she made.

"You're exhausted," Carlos put in. "You're going to need you're sleep."

"No," she whispered. "I can't."

"Nightmares?" Zhane questioned her gently, not surprised when she chose not to reply. "Deca, where's Andros?"

"No," Ashley said loudly before Deca had even the chance to respond. "No, don't tell him."

"Why not?" Carlos asked in surprise.

"Just don't," Ashley pleaded.

"But Ash - "

"No," she shouted, leaping to her feet. "You don't understand! I don't want him here!"

"All right," Carlos agreed quickly. "All right, Ash, we won't get Andros."

She calmed down slightly at that, and reclaimed her seat. "I'm sorry," she muttered. "I just..."

"Ash," Zhane began carefully. "You do know that Andros - "

"I know," she cried. "Whatever you're going to say, I know. He loves me. He'll never leave me. He won't judge me. I've heard this already!"

"I didn't mean - "

"I know you didn't," Ashley said in a somewhat calmer tone. "But I... I just can't see Andros right now."

"Why not?" Carlos glanced at her curiously. "If you don't mind me asking..."

"Because I don't want to need him that much," Ashley muttered. "I don't want to run to him with my nightmares and beg him to never leave me. I don't want to be that helpless."

"You wouldn't be," Zhane protested, but Ashley wasn't in the mood to listen.

"Yes, I would be," she cried out. "I'm helpless without him and I know it, but he doesn't need to know it. It's bad enough that he'll be there with me tomorrow. I don't want him here now."

"If you told him not to go, he'd stay," Carlos pointed out, but Ashley shook her head.

"No," she said. "I need him there. I just don't want him there."

"Ash, you're not making any sense," he protested, and she sighed, rubbing her tired eyes.

"I need Andros there," she repeated slowly, trying to sort out her own thoughts as much as she was trying to explain her feelings to them. "Just being in the same room with him... it keeps me calm. But... I don't want myself to depend on him that much, especially when I know he doesn't want to be there."

"He wants to be there for you."

"I know he does," Ashley admitted. "But he doesn't want to spend the next few weeks or months listening to all that. I don't want him listening, but I need him there."

"Ash, the rest of us would go with you if you wanted us to," Carlos said quietly.

"I don't," she mumbled. "I love you guys, but it was hard enough to tell you that I was raped. If you guys were there while I'm being asked all these questions... I don't think I'd be able to answer them."

Zhane's eyes finally cleared with understanding. "So that's it," he said, half to himself. "You're ashamed."

"Don't tell me not to be," she pleaded. "It's not that easy."

"I know," Zhane sighed.

"But Ash," Carlos added. "You're not any less of a person because of what he did to you."

"I know that," she admitted. "Sometimes. But I just keep thinking... why didn't I fight him? That hurts worse than anything, knowing that I let him."

"You didn't," Carlos protested. "It was the only way you could protect yourself."

Ashley laughed bitterly. "You think I was protecting myself by doing nothing?"

"Yes."

"Then why couldn't I have protected myself by fighting back?" she demanded angrily.

"He would have killed you." Zhane's response was instantaneous and Ashley's head snapped in his direction. The usual laughter was gone from his eyes as he continued, his voice low and grave. "He wanted you badly enough to risk everything, and if you had fought him off, he would have killed you either out of spite or just to keep you quiet."

"Y-you think so?" she asked shakily.

"Yes," Zhane said calmly. "And I think we'd all rather know you the way you are than not know you at all."

Carlos nodded his agreement. "Ash... just knowing you has made all our lives better."

"It has?" Ashley manged to say before she became to choked to speak.

"Yes," he said vehemently. "You've saved all of us, not just Andros, and we can't help but love you for that."

"I love you guys too," she whispered, swallowing hard.

"Hey, come here," Zhane said gently, opening his arms to her. Ashley rushed over to him, burying her face in his shoulder as her tears began to flow. He held her without a word, simply letting her cry into him as long as she needed to.

"What's going on?"

"Andros?" Carlos spoke, letting Ashley continue crying silently. "What are you doing here?"

"I couldn't sleep," he said, although his appearance implied that he had been asleep - several times, probably. His hazel eyes settled on Ashley, whose face was still hidden against Zhane's shoulder.

"Ash?" he asked softly, approaching her tentatively. "What's wrong?"

"Andros?" Raising her face as Zhane released her, Ashley stared at Andros for a moment before turning to glare accusingly at Zhane, who shook his head.

"I didn't call him," he said softly. "Good night, Ash."

"Yeah, I think I'll go to bed too," Carlos added hastily. "I'll see you in the morning, Ash."

"Wait," she said suddenly, hugging him hard. "Thank you."

"It's nothing, Ash," he insisted. "Good night."

"Night," she echoed softly.

"Ash?"

"I'm all right," she said quietly, not protesting as Andros wrapped his arms around her. "You can go back to bed, if you want."

He hesitated. "I'll go if you want me to."

Ashley sighed, the warmth of his arms around her soothing. "I don't," she admitted. "But I don't want you to stay, either."

"Then I'll go," he said softly, releasing her and stepping away. He turned to go but stopped, surprised to feel Ashley's hand on his arm. When he turned to face her, his heart nearly broke at the torn expression on her face.

"Andros, I need you," she whispered. "Don't go."

He said nothing but pulled her into his arms even as she finished speaking, overcome with a sudden hatred of himself. She shouldn't have had to ask him to stay, not when he knew how much she needed him and how much it had cost her to make the admission.

"I won't leave you," he promised. "But I think you'd be better off in bed, Ash. You're exhausted."

"I can't sleep," she muttered.

"You should try," he insisted gently, but she shook her head.

"No."

"Then you should at least lie down," he said. "Please?"

Reluctantly, she nodded. "If you'll stay with me."

"Of course I will," he said softly, leading her through the Megaship back to her room. He crawled into bed beside her and drew the blankets up over them both, holding Ashley close as she tried in vain to prepare herself for the morning.


	22. Chapter 22

**Disclaimer:** Power Rangers isn't mine. Surprised?

_**Ashley Hammond/Astro Yellow:** He forgot because he's an idiot? Either that or he was afraid to push her for anything. Take your pick. :P_

_**Jenny:** It's not the trial just yet. Andros has to be an idiot first. :P Ashley named Tawny Tawny because... because I chose Tawny's name before I did Terry's and by the time I realized that the names were sorta similar, I was already writing chapter 5 and I was too lazy to change it?_

_**C.C.C:** No trial for a few more chapters, sorry. I'm busy stalling. But on the plus side, I'll update a.s.a.p. :P_

Chapter 22

"Ashley?" Andros spoke softly, not wanting to disturb her if she'd fallen asleep. He needn't have worried; Ashley wasn't going to be doing any sleeping this night. Her head tilted back and he found himself staring at her face upside down.

"What?" Her voice was snappish and irritable, neither of which he could blame her for. A moment later, Ashley added, in a much softer tone, "Sorry."

"It's all right." Andros slipped his arms around her as she sat up, resting his head against hers. "How are you doing?"

"I've been better," Ashley answered dryly. "But I imagine that there are more relaxing things to do than testifying against your rapist in court."

"Ash, you know we're all here for you," Andros murmured softly as he felt her trembling slightly.

"I know," Ashley whispered. "Thanks."

"He can't hurt you anymore, Ash," Andros assured her. Completely encased in his arms, Ashley almost believed him.

"But what if they let him go?" Ashley whispered, her nails digging into his arms. "They'll wonder why I never said anything. They'll wonder why I never fought him. He'll get off, and then he'll still own me."

"No one owns you, Ashley," Andros said firmly. "No one."

"Then why won't he go away?" Ashley wailed. "I still hear him laughing at me. Telling me that I was worthless and that no one would ever want me now. I still see him standing over me, and I'm too afraid to fight him. I still feel him..."

She choked on her words, twisting away before Andros could see the terror triggered by the memories. It was too much to live with; Ashley wished that she could just curl up and die, before she had to relive it yet again, this time in front of so many people.

"Andros?"

The Karovan man at her side took her hands in his before giving her a questioning look, waiting patiently until she was ready to speak. It took several minutes for Ashley to work up the nerve to make an admission more painful than any other she had made during this entire ordeal.

"I'm scared."

Silently, Andros gathered her into his arms, holding her close. "I know you are," he whispered. "It's only a little longer, Ash. Just be strong for a few more weeks. Then it's over."

"I can't," Ashley cried, shaking. "That's too much."

"You can," Andros told her, entwining his fingers with her cold ones. "You've been so strong so far. After Tawny was born, you went back and lived in that house with him for two years. I know you're scared, Ash, but you don't realize how strong you really are."

"Maybe you don't realize how weak I really am," Ashley mumbled. Andros stared at the girl he loved more than life, his heart breaking for her. Suddenly, she seemed small in his arms, frail somehow. Not knowing what else to, he tightened his embrace, and continued telling her that she was strong enough for this, hoping in vain that even one word would sink into her mind.

"I love you, Ashley," he whispered, squeezing her fingers, trying to warm her hands between his own.

"I love you too, Andros," Ashley murmured, struggling out of his arms, twisting around to face him. "But..."

"But what?" Andros felt a small knot forming in the pit of his stomach, ballooning to the size of a boulder in seconds as Ashley's silence grew. Her eyes had taken on the same sad look he had seen the day that she had broken up with him. Andros prayed that she wouldn't do it again. "Ash, just tell me!"

"Andros, I don't know how long of a trial it will be," Ashley said, staring at her hands, her eyes flickering up to meet his periodically. "And as long as I'm supposed to spend every day talking about what Terry did, I don't think that we... I don't think that I can..."

"It's all right," Andros assured her, too relieved by the fact that she wasn't leaving him to be extraordinarily upset over anything else that she could say. "I'll leave you alone if that's what you want."

"But that's not what I want," Ashley said with a shake of her head. "I just... I don't know!"

"It's all right," Andros said, gently rubbing her shoulders as she allowed him to wrap his arms around her again. "I'll do anything to make this easier for you."

"Then don't go," Ashley whispered. "Andros, please don't leave."

"Who said I was going anywhere?" Andros demanded, stroking her hair gently with one hand. "I love you, and I'm never leaving you, Ashley."

Ashley's tear-filled brown eyes didn't quite meet his hazel ones, and she buried her face in his neck, mumbling, "Don't make promises you can't keep."

"I'm never leaving you, Ashley," Andros repeated quietly, raising her chin to make her meet his eyes. "I promise you."

"Andros, please stop," Ashley cried, tearing her eyes away from his. "You don't know what you're doing to me."

"I'm sorry," Andros apologized softly, brushing stray tears out of Ashley's watery eyes. "I'm not trying to hurt you."

"Then what are you trying to do?" Ashley demanded, struggling out of his warm embrace. Andros made to catch her arms, and caught himself just in time, knowing what that would do to her.

"I'm trying to tell you that I love you more than anyone else in the world," Andros said softly, his throat suddenly very dry. "I'm trying to tell you that I... I want to spend the rest of my life with you."

For a moment, Ashley stared at him mutely, recovering her voice just as Andros added quickly, "I know what you said before, and I'm not trying to push you into anything, but after the trial, after this is over... would you marry me?"

"You'd marry someone who was raped?" Ashley whispered, her mind overflowing with the reasons that he shouldn't want her. "You'd marry someone with a child that wasn't yours? You'd marry someone who couldn't give you children of your own?"

"Yes," Andros said softly. "If that someone was you."

Tears were falling freely down Ashley's face now, and she slowly started shaking her head. "Why?"

"Because I love you," Andros said simply. He raised one hand to her face, gently wiping away her tears. Ashley let him pull her into his arms and he stroked her hair until her crying had turned into an occasional sniffle.

"I love you," Ashley whispered, swallowing a fresh wave of tears that threatened to overwhelm her. She wondered why it hurt so much more to be loved than to be hated. "You're sure you'd want me?"

"I'm positive," Andros said. He turned his head until he was able to look directly into her eyes. "I'm always going to want you, as long as you'll want me."

"Why wouldn't I want you?" Ashley buried her face in Andros's chest, inhaling the familiar, comforting scent of him as he kissed the top of her head.

"I can think of more reasons why you shouldn't want me than why I shouldn't want you," Andros told her softly. "You don't have to answer me now, Ashley. I just... I just wanted you to know..."

"No, you didn't," Ashley said, looking up into his hazel eyes, where she could see his raw pain clearly. "You wanted me to say yes."

"But you didn't," Andros said sadly, crushed. He glanced away quickly; if he stared into her eyes any longer, he knew he was going to break down and cry. "And you don't have to."

"I want to," Ashley murmured, and Andros breathed a little easier.

"Y-you do?"

"Andros..." Ashley let her voice trail off, trying to form a reply that would neither break his heart nor promise away something she wasn't ready to give. "If I say no, I'll regret it for the rest of my life... but if I say yes, then I... I'd be trapped, and I'd never be able to say no to you ever again."

Andros shifted, and Ashley held onto him, her head resting against his shoulder. She could feel him shaking just the slightest bit, and knew that he was struggling very hard to keep her from seeing how deeply she'd just hurt him.

"I understand," he said stiffly, biting down on his inner lip, blinking hard.

"Would you... ask me again?" Ashley asked softly. "When this is over?"

"Of course I will," Andros told her. "If that's what you want, Ash."

"It is," Ashley whispered. She rested her head on his chest, wishing that she could deserve him and his love. "I know I'm asking a lot from you, but I..."

"No, Ashley," Andros said gently. "I'm the one who's asking too much of you. I shouldn't be proposing to you right now, but I am. Maybe it's because I'm selfish, or maybe I'm just being stupid, but I..."

He shrugged at her, lost, and Ashley sighed. "I love you, Andros, I really do," she whispered as Andros tucked her head under his chin. "I can't think of a better way to spend my life than with you. I just can't move on until after Terry's gone... if he's ever gone."

"No matter what happens," Andros said, "he's never going to touch you again, Ash. I promise you that, no matter what I have to do to keep it."

There was a hidden undertone of violence in his voice, and Ashley shuddered. "Andros, you wouldn't... if he gets off, you wouldn't kill him, would you?"

"Would you want me to?"

"No," Ashley murmured. "I want him to die a horrible death half the time, but if he ever did, I wouldn't want you to do it. I wouldn't want you to be a murderer for me. I'm not worth that."

"I don't think I've got it in me to kill anyone," Andros admitted a moment later. "No matter how much of a monster they were." He stopped just short of telling her that for her, he'd find it in himself to kill, and pressed a warm kiss her temple as Ashley stifled a yawn. "You should sleep, Ash," he told her quietly. "Do you want me to go?"

"No," Ashley said, not saying any more for fear that she would start whimpering or pleading. She knew Andros would stay with her if she begged him to, but she didn't want him there out of pity.

"Then I'll stay," Andros said, loosening his hold on her to let her settle herself onto the bed. Ashley lay down and curled up immediately, trying to hold herself together. Andros wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close, her back resting against his chest. "Don't worry, Ash," he added softly, feeling her breathing beginning to deepen. "I'm never going to let you go."


	23. Chapter 23

**Disclaimer:** Power Rangers is not my creation. The story is my creation.

_**Ashley Hammond/Astro Yellow:** I did update soon! And of course you gotta love Andros. Everyone does! Except Andros himself. :P _

_**Red Ranger Chick:** No, Terry isn't going to do anything drastic at the trial. I'm skipping over most of the trial, partly to keep the story from stalling for a half dozen chapters, and partly just because the scenes I did begin to write seemed too unoriginal and boring to bother using._

Chapter 23

Andros opened his eyes slowly, slightly startled to find Ashley wrapped up securely in his arms until the night before came back to him, the memory slamming into him hard. Sighing softly, he placed a kiss on her forehead before climbing over her carefully, not wanting to deprive her of a few more minutes of sleep.

"Don't wake her, Deca," he pleaded as he headed into her bathroom. "Just let her sleep."

"As you wish," came the equally soft reply.

"Thank you," he said, unable to keep back a smile as he cast one more long look at Ashley's now peaceful face. The expression would be long gone the instant he woke her up, he had no doubts of that, and he groaned aloud at the thought of being the one to pull her out of her dreams and into reality; a reality that would be little more than a nightmare for the next few weeks, maybe even months.

_I asked her to marry me,_ he remembered suddenly, stopping cold as he stepped into the shower, not noticing that the water spray hit him full in the face. _I asked her to marry me... What's **wrong** with me?_

Ashley didn't need him proposing to her right now. He had known that the night before with just as much clarity as he knew it now, yet he'd asked her anyway.

_I love her,_ he defended himself. _I just wanted her to know that I'd never leave her..._

_No, you didn't,_ another part of him raged._ You wanted to ask her while she wasn't thinking clearly because you know she'll say no when she is._

_She wouldn't say no..._

_Yes, she would! And do you know why? _

Andros sighed as his mind proceeded to recite a long list of faults, repeating itself several dozen times. It was true, Ashley could have done so much better than him... but she hadn't. She'd chosen him, and briefly, he wondered if she had done so deliberately, because she felt she wasn't worthy of anyone better.

_That's why,_ his mind declared triumphantly.

_No, it's not,_ something else cried out. The sparkle in Ashley's eyes as she told him that she loved him was just too real for her not to have meant the words.

_Just because she loves you doesn't mean she could never love anyone else... And you won't give her the chance to..._

"Stop it," Andros muttered aloud, yanking hard on the faucet handle, watching as the water spray dwindled down to nothing. In the sudden silence, he could hear his thoughts too clearly for his own good and he sighed heavily, toweling himself off and dressing as quickly as he could, his internal battle still raging as he stepped back into Ashley's room. Sitting down beside her sleeping form, Andros leaned over her, shaking her shoulder gently.

"Ash," he whispered. "Come on, Ash, wake up."

She moaned softly in reply, and he sighed, shaking her a little more firmly. Her brown eyes slowly fluttered open, widening when they focused on him. A small smile appeared on her face and Andros could feel his heart aching. He hadn't seen that expression often enough in recent days, and he didn't want to be the one to make it vanish again.

As it turned out, he didn't have to. His own grave expression must have triggered something in her memory, for a few seconds later, her eyes had clouded over and her pretty face was marked by a distant, blank look.

"I'm going to take a shower now," she said stiffly, her fingers clenching around the hem of the sheet. He cautiously rested his fingers over hers, squeezing her fingers gently when she didn't flinch away. "Will you be in the glider bay?"

"Yeah," he said. "I'll wait for you there."

Ashley nodded numbly and climbed out of bed as he stood up to let her do so. "Andros?"

He turned to gaze at her intently. She forced a tiny smile and said quietlly, "Thank you."

The fingers of his right hand brushed against her cheek for the briefest second before he turned and left her in the privacy of her room. It was early, no later than six thirty, and the corridors of the Megaship were wide and empty, completely devoid of the life he'd grown accustomed to finding there. The glider bay was equally dark and silent when he entered, and he didn't bother to turn on a light. Sinking down into a seat, he stared glumly at the shadows that played upon the floor, his mind picking up the argument where it had last left off.

_I love her._

_No, you don't. She's beautiful and she's vulnerable. You don't love her, you just want her._

He'd said the words before, even to Ashley herself, but he hadn't meant them the way he had now. During his many conversations with Ashley, he had been trying to reassure her that he still wanted to be with her, but now...

_I want her,_ he admitted to himself. _But I love her._

_You're not that good of a person,_ his mind sneered at him. _No matter what Ashley told you._

_Go away! _

His mind cried out loudly enough for him to recieve groggy complaints from Zhane and Karone, and he sighed, letting his face fall forward to rest in his hands. Ashley needed him now, and he wasn't doing either of them any good by doubting himself.

He only wished that the doubts weren't so real.

"Andros?"

"I'm in here," he said, realizing then that the glider bay was still dark. "Deca, turn up the lights, please."

The room was cheerfully lit only a second later, more than enough for Andros to discern the unnatural paleness of Ashley's face. She was trembling as she made her way over to him, her shaking not stopping as she took a seat.

All his earlier thoughts completely forgotten, Andros moved to her side, clasping her hands in his. Everything inside of him was aching just to comfort her, to hold her and promise her that everything was going to be all right, to convince her that she was safe with him and no one would ever lay an unwanted hand on her ever again.

"Ash, I'm sorry for what I said last night." He spoke softly in her ear, keeping his tone even by some unknown force of will. "The last thing you need right now is me asking you to marry me. I shouldn't have, and I'm sorry."

"Don't be," Ashley told him after a moment. "You're right, I can't deal with that now... but now I can believe that you'll still be here at the end of this."

"I'll always be here," he promised her quietly, relieved that he hadn't hurt her, and although his conscience still jabbed at him every now and then, his self-hatred had mostly dissapated. He stepped back before he had the chance to say anything else that he shouldn't. "Are you going to eat?"

Ashley hesitated. "I'm not sure that I can."

"Try," he pleaded. "Please?"

"I'm not hungry," she informed him. "I feel sick."

Andros didn't argue. "Is Tawny still asleep?"

"Yeah." Ashley nodded, smiling briefly. "I didn't have it in me to wake her... I'll see her tonight, I guess."

Any reply Andros might have made was cut off by the somewhat irritating chirp of Ashley's cell phone. Anxiety was written all over her face as she dug the device out of her pocket, her nerves calming only a little as she saw who the call was from.

"Hi, Jeff."

"Ash."

"What happened?" she demanded, her voice wavering. Andros was at her side in an instant, but even his comforting presence wasn't enough to dim the alarm that had welled up within her at her brother's tone.

"I need to warn you about something," Jeff told her quietly. "You know that the media isn't allowed to use your name. They can only use Terry's name, because of the kind of case this is, but - "

"What happened?" she nearly screamed at him, her fingers white from the grip she had on her phone. "Jeff, just tell me!"

"Mom," he told her. "She went to a few reporters and told them just enough for them to put it all together."

"No," she whispered. "She didn't. She wouldn't."

"I'm sorry," Jeff said sadly. "But she did, and there's going to be three or four reporters wanting to talk to you."

"I don't have to, do I?"

"No," Jeff assured her. "You don't. I just wanted you to know that they're down here waiting for you."

She hung up without another word, blinking furiously as tears burned against the back of her eyelids. Andros laid a hand on her shoulder, intending to comfort her, but she recoiled.

"Don't touch me," she whispered.

He nodded without a word, understanding that her inability to be touched had little to do with him and much more to do with her current state of mind. Retreating to the other side of the table, he watched her with concern evident in his eyes.

"Will you be all right?"

"Andros, don't make me do this," she begged quietly. "I can't."

"I'm not making you do anything," he reminded her, frowning. "Now... what's going on?"

"She **told** people!" Ashley cried, too exhausted to cry. "I can't do this, Andros, not now. I don't want people to know..."

"Who told people?" he asked gently.

_I'll kill them..._

"My mother," she whispered, the word bitter in her mouth. "Why does she hate me?"

Andros sighed. "Because she knows, and she can't accept it."

"Is that supposed to make me feel better?"

"No," he said. "But you asked."

"If I don't go, does he win?" she asked abruptly.

"I don't know how your laws work," Andros said after a pause. "But since you are the only one with first hand evidence against him, I think he does."

"I have to go, then," she whispered, her face crumpling. "I can't let him win."

"I'm so sorry, Ash," he told her quietly, restraining himself from just jumping up to wrap her up in his arms and never let her go. "But you can do this."

"No, I can't," she cried. "Not if people know..."

Andros sighed. "Would it do any good to say that you shouldn't be ashamed?"

Ashley slowly shook her head. "No," she whispered. "Because I am, and I always will be."

"I know you are," he said gently. "But if you run now, will you be able to live with yourself tomorrow?"

"No," she admitted. "Andros?"

He waited patiently for her to speak, his soft hazel eyes never leaving her face.

"I love you," she whispered.

"I love you, Ash," he replied just as softly. "I won't leave you, I promise."

"Ash? Andros?"

"Hi, Zhane," she mumbled as the blond boy appeared in the glider bay, Karone at his side. She hesitated. If the rest of the world knew...

"Um," she began timidly. "Would you guys... come with me?"

"Of course we will," Karone said instantly.

"Are you sure you want us to?" Zhane asked. "Last night you said - "

"I'm sure," Ashley said firmly. "I know what I said last night, and I meant it then, but now... I think I need you guys."

"Then we'll be there," Zhane said firmly. "As long as you need us."


	24. Chapter 24

**Disclaimer:** Power Rangers... not mine. Darn.

_**Ashley Hammond/Astro Yellow:** Of course it's sweet! You read more and I worked on the flashback. :P _

_**Chylea3784:** That occured to me too..._

_**Jenny:** Yes, you can say that the story is great. :P And it's all right, my mom won't let me online most hours of the day. But you know that... :P_

Chapter 24

"I'll stay here," Carlos announced unexpectedly when Ashley repeated her request for her friends to accompany her. When he saw her crushed look, he was quick to explain, "Deca really isn't the best baby-sitter, and won't Tawny get lonely?"

Ashley nodded. "Thanks."

"Don't worry about a thing, Ash," he assured her. "Just take care of yourself, all right?"

She nodded again, her throat too dry for words. When she stepped back towards her friends, Andros offered his hand to her, the look in his eyes promising her that he would understand if she couldn't take it. Ashley hesitated, but slowly reached out to him, her fingers clamping down over his. She knew she had to be hurting him, but he said nothing, only glancing up at Deca's eye and softly requesting her to teleport them all down to Angel Grove.

Ashley was startled to see that the day was overcast, heavy clouds threatening to break loose and drench the world. She knew that it was the middle of winter, but couldn't help wondering what had happened to all the months in between late summer and now. It had been the last few days of August when Andros had first seen Tawny, and she truly remembered very little of the last four months or so.

"Cold?"

Andros's warm breath nearly in her ear startled her so badly it took several minutes for the single word to register. She nodded, crossing her arms across her chest, her fingers curling into fists. Andros shrugged off his jacket, draping it across her shoulders.

"Better?"

She pushed her arms through the sleeves and nodded, the residual heat from his body warming her better than the jacket itself. "Thanks," she muttered.

"Hey, Ash, what time did you have to be there?" TJ asked from somewhere behind her. "In about twenty minutes?"

"Yeah," she mumbled, glancing over at the building nervously.

"Stay out here as long as you want," Cassie told her. "We're not going anywhere."

"I should go," she said reluctantly, most of her concentration on breathing. "Come on."

Ashley kept her head ducked down as she slowly made her way up the steps to the courthouse. Andros had a firm grasp on her hand, and had his other arm wrapped securely around her waist, but it wasn't nearly enough to soothe her anymore, and they both knew it.

To her relief, there wasn't a gaggle of reporters standing by ready to pounce on her or if there was, her friends were doing a good job of sheilding her from them. Cool air breezed down on them the moment they entered the building, where Jeff stood waiting for them, looking extremely uncomfortable in his black slacks and pale blue shirt.

"Ready, Ash?" he asked softly.

She knew better than to shake her head, not having the energy to take in several dozen encouraging remarks from her friends. Exhaling slowly, she did her best to look brave.

"As ready as I'm going to be," she said in what she hoped was a steady voice. Andros's fingers tightened briefly over hers, but other than that, no one commented.

Jeff gave her a forced smile and opened the heavy door to his left, ushering her into the courtroom, Andros only a step behind her. Ashley didn't know how her feet managed to carry her across the room, but somehow they did, and she found herself seated on a hard wooden bench between Andros and Jeff, her hands clenched and her head bowed down once more.

There was a slight tingling in the back of her mind, and she shot Andros a sharp look. His eyes were focused intently on hers, filled with concern and sorrow, but more than anything else, love.

_"Let down your blocks?"_ he asked her tentatively, knowing that he had no right to intrude on her thoughts, and more importantly, no right to intrude on her memories, but he was desperate to help her in even the smallest way.

Ashley hesitated, but in the end complied, slowly lowering the mental walls she had hidden herself behind. As she did so, her sense of Andros grew stronger and stronger, until she felt as though she was curled up in his lap with his strong arms cradling her against him as she kept her face buried in his chest.

_"Does this help any?"_

She nodded instantly, giving him what she hoped was a grateful look. _"Thank you."_

_"Anything for you,"_ he replied simply, the words that he had said so many times before calming her almost to the point of rationality. Andros squeezed her fingers briefly, and she actually smiled, her nerves steadied by the quiet tingling in the back of her mind that was him.

Someone - she thought it likely had been Karone - had once termed the emphatic links between herself and Andros and then the one between Zhane and Karone a 'soulmate bond.' While she wasn't entirely sure that she believed in soulmates, Ashley had to admit that if the theory was correct it explained a lot. She didn't doubt that any other guy would have walked away long ago, but Andros was still at her side, somehow knowing that he wanted to remain there for the rest of his life.

She frowned, remembering Andros's proposal the night before. His timing had been horrible; he'd admitted as much himself, but oddly enough, she wasn't bothered by the pressure he'd put on her. It was reassuring on some level, to know that after every last awful moment of her past had been retold time and again, Andros would still be there, still loving her.

_You wish you'd said yes, don't you?_ she asked herself slowly, glancing down at their clasped hands.

_Maybe I do,_ she admitted. _But... I'm not ready for that. Andros understands..._

_You almost broke his heart last night, you know._

_I know,_ she thought sadly, wincing inwardly as she recalled the crushed look on his face the night before. _But he shouldn't have asked me to marry him..._

_He was just trying to tell you that he loves you. He wanted you to know that he's never going to leave you. And you said no! _

_I didn't,_ she protested against herself. _Not exactly._

_But you didn't say yes, now did you? You don't deserve him, not after the way you've treated him. First you left him. Then you made him beg for a second chance, when you should have been begging him. Then you let him fall completely in love with you, and you won't even marry him!_

_I will,_ she told herself decisively. _When he asks me again, I will. I'll be ready then._

_Unless he sees you for who you **really** are before that,_ the little voice taunted her. _He won't want you when he sees what a horrible person you are. He won't want you when he realizes that you deserve everything that's happened to you! _

_I didn't,_ she wailed silently.

_Yes, you did! Just because Andros told you that you didn't doesn't mean it's true. He doesn't know everything. He doesn't know **you.** But you do. You know how awful you are. _

_"Ash?"_

Her head snapped in Andros's direction, her eyes wide and fearful. _"Andros... you can't read minds, can you?"_

_"No, Ash," _he assured her quickly, deciding that she didn't need to know she had been projecting several of her thoughts at him unwittingly. _"I can't read your mind."_

_"Andros?" _she asked hesitantly, his opinion mattering to her so much more than her own. _"Am I an awful person?"_

_"No,"_ he responded instantly, almost violently. _"Don't ever think that you are, Ash."_

_See?_ she thought at the little part of herself that continued to torment her. _I'm not awful..._

Knowing that she wouldn't like the reply, Ashley quickly tore herself away from her thoughts, clinging to the hope that one day, she would be ready to say yes to Andros, and spend the rest of her life in his arms.

"Ash," Jeff muttered suddenly, tapping her hand lightly. "He's coming now..."

_I am not going to cry,_ she resolved, her nails digging into Andros's palm. _I am not going to cry. He can't control me anymore. _

She swallowed hard and nodded, steeling herself not to break down in tears at the mere sight of him. She couldn't let him see how weak she was. If Terry saw her cry, he would know how to get to her, and she couldn't let that happen. He couldn't win, not after everything she had put herself through to get here. Taking a deep breath, she forced her chin up, clamping her fingers down hard over Andros's as she searched frantically for the strength he'd sworn to her that she possessed.

Andros wasn't sure who was expecting to see, but there was nothing impressive about the man escorted into the room by two armed men. He looked like any other man Andros had ever seen, nothing about his demeanor hinting at what he was capable of. He was taller than most, maybe an inch or two more than six feet, and while 'short' was not a word easily applied to Ashley Hammond, Andros instantly understood how small she must have felt, and still felt, if his instincts were correct.

Despite his height, his frame was rather slight and his expression was relatively mild for someone in his position.

He appeared almost bored.

Then his gray-blue eyes settled on Ashley, and his face was suddenly contorted into a sneer, the gesture twisting his face into something not quite human. Andros felt Ashley tense, forcing her muscles still as her body tried to shrink back into him. He couldn't help but marvel at her strength; he himself wanted to tear his eyes away, but he refused to let himself, and instead glared at the man who had hurt Ashley more deeply than anyone should ever be hurt.

There was something predatory in his cold, hard gaze, something hungry, something... evil. Andros suddenly knew with sickening certainty what Terry would try if he was given the chance, and worse, he knew that it would happen because deep in her heart, Ashley still thought too little of herself to struggle against him.

He wasn't sure exactly what it was that kept him in his seat when everything inside of him simply wanted to vent out his anger. It could have been the knowledge that Ashley needed him more than anything. It might have been that he still possessed some kind of restraint, but he strongly suspected that it had much more to do with the iron grip Ashley had on his arm than with any ideas he had about what was right and what was wrong.

_"Andros, cool it,"_ Zhane ordered from somewhere off to his right. _"You're not helping her any."_

_"I'm trying,"_ he responded, clenching his teeth. _"But I just want to kill him."_

_"I **know** you do,"_ Zhane said patiently. _"We all do. But you can't do that here."_

_"Then let's go somewhere I can," _he retorted. _"This is too good for him."_

_"Andros,"_ Ashley whimpered, and he jumped, quickly putting some distance between them as he realized just what his anger was doing to her.

_"I'm sorry, Ash,"_ he apologized quickly, keeping the walls up until he'd gotten his temper under some kind of control. _"I'll try not to do that."_

Ashley let out a shuddering breath and nodded weakly. Once Andros had gotten his rage down to a manageable level, the sensation of his mind rubbing gently against hers was soothing once again, and slowly, she began to relax as best she could under the current circumstances.

She knew better than to let her eyes stray to the left side of the courtroom, but she didn't need to be told that Terry was watching her. She could feel his eyes fixed on her and shuddered as memory upon memory slammed into her hard, playing out in slow motion, forcing her to relive each awful second at a hundredth of the speed in which it had happened in reality.

Ashley couldn't stand it any longer and twisted to the side, rendered completely immoblie by the intensity of Terry's eyes. Ashley hadn't known that one person could possess so much hate, so much evil, and to know that it was all focused on her nearly destroyed her.

He smirked as tears welled up in her eyes. Just barely swallowing down her squeak of fear, Ashley wrapped Andros's jacket around herself more securely, attempting to just drown herself in the warm fabric and hide for the rest of eternity.

"Court will come to order," the baliff announced loudly. "All rise..."

Ashley didn't hear the rest, but she slowly stood on rubbery legs with the rest, leaning on Andros for a support that he offered without hesitation, and the love that he returned unconditionally.


	25. Chapter 25

**Disclaimer:** Power Rangers is the property of Disney. I'm not Disney.

_**Ashley Hammond/Astro Yellow:** Andros **was** controlling his temper. He wants to beat the guy into a bloody pulp and instead he stayed in his seat holding Ashley's hand. I'm not entirely sure what'll happen to Terry, I really want to write that sequel. :P_

_**Jenny:** You are an incredible writer. When you actually write. :P FL is Forever Light, but what's JC? Anyway, I know Terry is creepy. This entire chapter is creepy. Especially that second flashback..._

Chapter 25

Ashley's head was bowed so low she was nearly resting her forehead on her knees. Her resolve never to show any sign of weakness had broken the moment the jury had filed out of the courtoom for deliberation, and now, a day later, it was all she could do to keep herself from letting her tears spill over.

Andros shifted on the bench next to her, and she glanced over at him, craving the reassuring smile she knew he would offer her. His soft hazel eyes met hers wearily, and he squeezed her hand encouragingly.

Ashley seemed to relax for a few moments, and he sighed inwardly, wishing for someway he could erase all traces of the stress and anguish the trial had inflicted upon her over the course of the last six weeks. To his great relief, Ashley hadn't been forced to testify all that time. Had she had to do so, he had his doubts that she would still be holding herself together nearly as well as she was. He'd only caught her in tears once during the past weeks, when her mother had taken the stand to speak out against her.

_Alice Hammond's brown eyes were cold, hard, and blazing with the hatred that lived in the deepest regions of her soul as she stared down her daughter. Ashley's head was lowered against the glare of the woman who had betrayed her when she'd needed her the most. _

_Andros squeezed her fingers briefly, and he saw Jeff do the same, both of them seeking only to comfort her even the slightest bit at this moment. Her fingers were covered in cold sweat, and for a second or two, just as her mother began to speak, Andros was sure that she'd broken some of his fingers, although he couldn't be sure if the strength of her grip was from fear or sadness and anger. _

_"Did your daughter ever tell you that your husband had raped her?" _

_Alice was being questioned by one of the prosecutors. Andros knew that both Jeff and Ashley were forcing themselves to listen to this, and he exhaled quietly, struck with the sudden urge to take matters into his own hands, whatever that might mean. Logically, he knew that he couldn't do so, but when everything inside of him was screaming at him to protect her, he couldn't help but feel that he was doing a poor job of it so far. _

_"Once or twice," Alice answered after a moment. "Months before I married him."_

_"When?"_

_Alice paused to think about it. "You know, I can't really remember. It must have been about this time of year, December, maybe January. Three years ago, I think."_

_How could she treat this so lightly, Andros wondered, feeling Ashley trembling, this time with quiet rage. This was her daughter..._

_"What did she say?"_

_"Mmm... I think it started out something like 'Mom, while you were away, I woke up in the middle of the night and Terry was in my room.' "_

_"You don't remember?"_

_Even the lawyer seemed slightly startled, but Alice remained as calm and collected as she had been from the start. _

_"Not really," she admitted. "But it was all a lie."_

_Ashley let out a jagged breath too quickly, and it became a dry sob. Andros felt a sudden wetness on his hand a moment later, and glanced over to find Ashley's face flushed with tears. _

_"How do you know that?"_

_"She looked perfectly fine," Alice explained. "She was wearing a T-shirt when she came to talk to me, and I could see her arms. There were no bruises or anything. If he'd raped her, he would have had to hold her down."_

_"She was uninjured?"_

_"Completely."_

_That part, at least, was true. Ashley hadn't been a ranger for more than a year afterward, but the Power had lain dormant in her, keeping her immune to most diseases, and healing all her wounds within days, even hours. Andros didn't doubt that Ashley could have been examined thoroughly by a doctor and not a trace of the violence commited against her would have been discovered. _

_"How did you react when she told you that she'd woken up to find the defendant in her room?"_

_"I told her it must have all been a bad dream," she replied. "I know my husband, and he would never do what Ashley's accused him of."_

_"Mrs. Hammond, DNA test results show that your granddaughter is the defendant's child," the lawyer said slowly. _

_"Oh, those things aren't one hundred percent accurate," she said lightly. "Besides, my husband had several relatives visiting us that winter. Ashley could have slept with any of them."_

_Ashley's tears were continuous, but completely silent now. Jeff's jaw was clenched, and his eyes shone with tears of his own. Ashley dropped Andros's hand for what nearly was the first time in a week to swipe angrily at her tears, furious with herself for letting the world see how weak she truly was. Jeff turned to look at her and her tears began flowing again as she saw the expression on her brother's face. _

_Andros scooted away just enough for Jeff to have room to wrap his arms around Ashley. She leaned against her brother, still crying, unable to stand listening to another word her mother spoke, but the words refused to stop coming because she wanted them to. _

_"Yes," Alice was saying. "I know I've lost both my children by supporting my husband, but I know the truth. My husband has never harmed anyone, much less my own daughter. I love my children, but Ashley needs help, and Jeff is only being a good brother."_

_Jeff released Ashley and let his face rest in his palms. He wasn't crying yet, but he couldn't bear to watch this any longer. Ashley shifted towards Andros, her arms locking around his waist as her face disappeared into his chest. He quickly wrapped his arms around her in return, but said nothing, knowing that no words had the power to dull her pain. _

Ashley let out her breath quietly, shaken out of her reverie as something crashed to the floor somewhere behind them. She judged from the look on Andros's face that he'd been just as far away as she.

_"It's going to be all right, Ash,"_ he told her suddenly. _"Everything will be okay."_

His confidence was encouraging, but Ashley couldn't let herself believe him just yet. She couldn't let herself dream of a future that hadn't yet happened, because she would be completely crushed when it never came.

_"Andros,"_ she began hesitantly. _"If Terry gets off... will everyone here... will they all think I lied?"_

_"I won't,"_ he promised her. _"Jeff won't. Cassie, TJ, Carlos, Zhane, and Karone won't. We know what really happened."_

Ashley nodded and glanced around the mostly empty courtroom. Besides Jeff and her friends, there was no one seated on the right side of the room, but on the opposite side of the room, several rows of seats were filled with Terry's large family, all people who had scorned her nearly as much as he had.

As she gazed across the room, her eyes met his, and she froze, torn between holding his gaze defiantly and shrinking back against Andros. He smirked at her and she bit her lip, trembling but refusing to look away, although the glint in his eyes frightened her more than anything she'd ever seen.

_His eyes were still on her, as they had been from the moment he had entered the room on that first day, but before, she'd been able to shrink back between Jeff and Andros, removing herself from her line of vision. Now though, he was on the witness stand, nearly directly in front of her, and there was no way to avoid his gaze._

_"What happened the night of December eighteenth of three years ago?" _

_"Nothing," Terry maintained, never even blinking. "Nothing at all."_

_"Nothing at all?" the lawyer repeated. "So Ashley Hammond did not wake up to find you in her bedroom?"_

_"I was there," he admitted. "Her mother was out of town, see, and I was told that she was prone to have nightmares. I was checking up on her, that's all. She never woke up."_

_Ashley felt her body seizing up as the memory hit, stronger than it had ever been save for the time when it wasn't yet a memory. Distantly, she was aware of Andros shifting in the seat next to her. His soft voice reached her ears, but she couldn't make out the words as she flew back in time, landing in her bedroom. For a fleeting instant, she was fifteen again, and in the last few moments before her life had become a living hell, she was happy._

"Ash, come on, don't do this to me."

_Andros pleaded with her silently, but received no response of any kind. Ashley's face was blank, and her beautiful eyes were glazed over. He knew what was happening, but was powerless to prevent it as Ashley was pulled into the grasp of another nightmare._

_The moment his vision was suddenly spliced in two, Andros understood what was happening and turned to behold Ashley in horror, still pleading with her to fight off the hold of her past even as she spiraled down further and further away from him._

_To some degree, Ashley knew that she was still in the courtroom. She knew that the voice desperately trying to pull her back was Andros's, yet she couldn't respond, no matter how she struggled to reach out to him. _

_Most of her consciousness was back with her fifteen year old self, jolted awake in the middle of the night by instinct, the same instinct that had warned her too late that something was terribly, terribly wrong. _

"Ash, come back,"_ Andros shouted. _"Ashley, don't do this, it's not real, please, just come back."

_He could still see his own surroundings, but layered over the courtroom was Ashley's dark bedroom. Andros knew then that he was seeing through Ashley's eyes and there was no way he could end it for either of them._

_There was a sudden motion in the darkness. He stepped out of the shadows and smirked down at her when he saw that she was now awake. Before she even had a chance to wonder at why he was there, she was pinned down, her wrists caught firmly in his right hand. _

"ASHLEY!"

_Andros screamed out for her desperately, but she was deaf to him. Bowing his head in defeat, he wrapped his arms around Ashley, holding her tight as the memory played out in both their minds. He closed his eyes, not bothering to hide or dam the tears that sprang into his eyes at Ashley's quiet cry of pain and shock. _

_He let the small, wet droplets roll steadily down his cheeks into Ashley's hair. She was perfectly still in his arms, her mind still locked into the past, replaying the darkest moments of her life time and time again, ignoring Andros's pleas for her to remember what was real. _

_Andros had no idea how quickly the time passed, but the sudden straining of Ashley's body against his arms couldn't have come soon enough. Dropping his strong hold on her instantly, he inched away from her as his tears continued to run, silent as always._

_Her mind slowly processed the fact that it had only been a fragment of her imagination, but it had been all too real for Ashley. She exhaled slowly, her shaky grip on reality returning to her somewhat. She felt Andros next to her and slipped both her arms around his waist, crushing him but not caring. He'd tried to bring her back, and when he'd found that he couldn't..._

"You saw that?"_ her mind wailed, not needing to see him to know he was in tears. _"Oh, God, Andros..."

"Stop it,"_ he told her firmly, though she knew his tears were still soaking into her hair. _"It wasn't real, Ash. It was just a nightmare. This is real. Trust me."

"I do,"_ she told him, dry sobs escaping her lips though her eyes were inexplicably dry. _"I do."

"Then fight,"_ he pleaded with her. _"These are just memories. Just nightmares. You are stronger than they are. I've seen you fight, Ash. You've fought monsters."

"Just not humans."

_Her mindvoice was bitter as she added the last and Andros sighed, not having the words to tell her that she was far stronger than himself. He supposed he'd always known that, but now he was forced to admit it, and not only to himself. _

_As Ashley's mind had betrayed her and forced her to relive the moments she was struggling desperately to forget, Andros had found himself staring straight into Terry's soul. The darkness there had promised death if he was met with resistence, and nothing but nearly unbearable pain if he took what he wanted._

_Had it been him in Ashley's place, Andros knew with utter certainty that he wouldn't have had Ashley's courage. He would have taken the easy way out and died, not simply because he would have lost what little will to live he had, but because he would have been forced to live the remainder of his life in silence. He might have been the red ranger, but deep in his heart, Andros knew he was a coward. _

_Andros doubted Ashley had any real idea of how close she had come to death, and he knew that he would never be able to thank her for living, not when he suspected she was wishing that she had died. But she hadn't; she'd chosen life, and all the darkness that came with hers, and for that Andros was unspeakably, selfishly grateful. _

_He felt her arms tighten their grip around his waist for a moment. Andros glanced down at her in surprise, wondering if she knew what he was thinking. After a moment of hesitation, he decided he didn't care. Of all people, Ashley had a right to know what he was thinking. She'd admitted to him that, just as she had done for him, he had been the reason she'd wanted to remember what it felt like to live._

_Ashley kept her head hidden against Andros, but her ears were working properly and the proceedings were still going on and on. She doubted very much that anyone but Andros had even noticed as she'd fallen into her nightmares. Taking a deep breath, she hugged Andros a little harder before releasing him entirely. Sitting up straight once again, she forced herself to listen to the lies she feared the jury took as truth._

_"Did you rape Ashley Hammond?"_

_"No," he replied just as calmly as he had to every other question. "I never touched her."_

Terry smirked at her another time when Ashley couldn't look away, but though his face scorned her, his eyes were strangely unsettled. If he was thinking of that first night as well, it wouldn't have surprised her. She wondered if he regretted what he had done to her.

She didn't care.

It was too late to wonder what her life could have been. It had been to late the moment she'd seen the blue lines on the home pregnancy test. Tawny meant everything to her, and Ashley couldn't find it in her heart to wish her daughter away.

_"Andros?" _she asked suddenly, not knowing where the question came from, but voicing it nonetheless. _"Tawny and I... we're safe on the Megaship, aren't we?"_

_"Always,"_ he promised her, squeezing her fingers lightly. His voice sounded over the quiet creak of an opening door. Ashley's head swiveled in the direction of the sound, her pulse skyrocketing as the jury filed in.

_It's going to be all right,_ she told herself shakily, nearly forgetting to breathe. _It's going be all right, it's going to be all right..._

The world seemed to be spinning as the twelve men and women slowly took their seaets. Ashley could hear blood rushing through her ears, her heart beating so quickly, she could feel her pulse throughout her entire body.

Her nails had dug into Andros's hands deeply enough to draw blood, the small red droplets oozing out of his broken skin, but he said nothing, not even bothering to pry her hands off of his.

Ashley's body was tense as she braced herself for something she didn't want to hear. She didn't move, didn't blink, didn't breathe as the verdict was read, the long, formal statement more than enough to make her head spin, but there was one word she heard over and over again, the one word that she truly hadn't expected to hear.

"Guilty."


	26. Chapter 26

**Disclaimer:** Power Rangers... not mine.

_**Melissa:** I love writing the devil/angel thing, especially for Andros. I can go on forever with him. I actually type pretty slow, but I've been working on this story since the end of August. :P_

_**Ashley Hammond/Astro Yellow:** Yup, she's safe. For now. Now she can marry Andros. Children? What children? I have no idea what you're talking about. :P _

_**Chylea3784:** I doubt I would have handled it well either. There are some things that you just don't do._

_**C.C.C:** Well, I skipped ahead a month or so, so Ashley will be recovered enough to say yes, but it will take a lot longer for her to heal completely._

_**Jenny:** Oh yeah, my birthday present. :P Just write **something**. I don't even care what story anymore. _

Chapter 26

"Sorry I'm late!"

Zhane rushed into the glider bay, Karone right on his heels. Andros shot the two of them an exasperated glare before shrugging and glancing down at Tawny, who had crawled into his lap sometime in the last ten minutes. She mimicked his expression and he had to laugh.

"Zhane, even the baby was here before you were," Cassie teased. "And you were the one who called this meeting."

"I not a baby!"

"You're sure not," Cassie agreed, laughing at Tawny's indignant expression, made all the more amusing as her face was smeared with most of her breakfast. "I don't know what I was thinking."

"I not a baby," Tawny repeated, glancing around to make doubly sure that everyone had gotten the point. "Really."

Ashley leaned across Andros's arm to kiss her forehead. "We know."

Tawny wrinkled her nose, scrubbing at her forehead with her small hands, and Ashley laughed softly. She'd been able to do so more and more often in the last month, and for that, Andros was unspeakably glad.

"Anyway..." Zhane cleared his throat and attention gradually shifted back to him. "Who actually still lives here besides Karone and Andros and me? Just Ash and Tawny?"

"Yeah," Cassie said after a thoughtful pause. "Teej, Carlos, and I rented out an apartment together on Monday."

"Good luck with that," Andros said dryly, earning himself a slap on the arm from Ashley and a mock glare from Cassie, but she laughed along with the rest of them.

"Why'd you want to know, Zhane?" Carlos asked.

"Well, see..." Zhane suddenly looked sheepish.

"He's homesick," Karone filled in. "And, well, to tell you the truth, this isn't my home. I don't know if KO-35 is either, but..."

"So you guys are leaving?" Cassie said sadly. She could understand why, of course, but she would miss them.

"Yeah," Zhane admitted. "As soon as we can."

Ashley turned to see how Andros was taking to this news. He didn't look too shocked, but she was surprised to see the torn look in his eyes. He wanted to go back too, she realized slowly, biting her lip at the thought of losing him now, after all the time he had spent at her side. The trial had ended four weeks ago, but Andros was still with her and Tawny most hours of the day, and truthfully, she wasn't sure that she could go on without him.

"You want to go," she said softly.

Andros nodded slowly without a word, staring down at the top of Tawny's head. Ashley sighed sadly, knowing that after everything he had done for her she didn't have the heart to keep him here with her if there was somewhere else he'd rather be.

"Then you should."

He shook his head, finally meeting her eyes. "No," he told her, his voice tentative as he went on. "Not without you."

"Andros?"

"Come with me?" he asked quietly.

"You want me to move to KO-35 with you?" she said, just to be sure she had it right. "Andros, I..."

"If you don't want to, I understand," he was quick to add, suddenly very conscious of the fact that the room was far from empty and all eyes were on him and Ashley. "I can't ask you to give up your home, especially not so suddenly, and if you stay, so do I, but if you'd want to, just for a little while even..."

"Andros," she said softly, and he ceased rambling. "Let me think for a few minutes, okay?"

He nodded, and they both fell silent as their friends broke into conversation. The answer was really an easy one, Ashley realized a moment later. She'd known for weeks that Angel Grove could never be her home any longer, and while she'd never given any thought as to where she'd actually like to end up, KO-35 suddenly appealed to her at the moment. With that much distance between herself and her past, Ashley thought that she could finally let go.

_And then there's Andros... I can't live without him. _

_And he wants to go home._

Ashley smiled to herself, her eyes narrowing as she suddenly realized how... convenient this all was.

"Which one of you planned this?" she demanded, eyeing the three Karovans suspiciously.

"Actually..." Karone grinned at her. "We didn't plan anything, really. It just took us awhile to realize that we all felt the same way."

"We figured Andros wasn't going anywhere without you," Zhane added. "But he was too chicken to talk to you before."

"But we did know you wanted to get away," Karone admitted.

Ashley rolled her eyes at the pair of them before glancing down at her daughter, wrapped snugly in Andros's arms.

"What do you think, Tawny?" she asked. "Do you want to go?"

"Go where?"

"KO-35," Ashley explained. "It's where Andros, Zhane, and Karone are from."

"We live there?" Tawny asked.

"Yeah, we would."

"We've even got the houses," Zhane added helpfully. Ashley raised an eyebrow at him and he shrugged. "Well... Andros inherits his parents house, if he wants it. My parents finally made it back home, and moved back into our old house..."

"Which just happens to be next door to Andros's house," Ashley finished for him, laughing. "So everything just happens to work out perfectly."

"No," Karone said. "Not unless you come."

Andros hadn't spoken in several minutes, Ashley realized, and he was doing a good job of avoiding everyone's eyes. Smiling, she reached out to touch his arm, watching his face relax into a hesitant smile as he took in her expression.

"My home is with you," she said simply, repeating the words he'd once told her. "If you want to go, then we're coming with you."

His eyes lit up at her words, and he extended one arm out to her, drawing her into a hug as best he could with Tawny still in his lap. She smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Thank you," he whispered for her ears only. "I love you, Ash."

"I love you too," she whispered back. Drawing away, she glanced at Zhane and Karone. "When are we leaving?"

"We-ell..." Karone said slowly, before grinning sheepishly. "Whenever you want. Tonight, even."

Ashley rolled her eyes at them, but couldn't keep back her smile - or the sudden intense longing to leave the Earth far behind.

"Give me the rest of the day to say goodbye to Jeff?"

"Sure," Karone agreed. "We'll leave tonight then."

"We didn't plan anything," Zhane insisted, laughing at the look Ashley gave him. "Well... I didn't anyway."

Ashley didn't miss the fact that everyone in the room suddenly seemed to be hiding a smile, or the fact that Karone had just kicked Zhane under the table.

"What's going on?"

The moment Andros eased Tawny out of his lap, understanding hit her, and she bit her lip, struck completely speechless. He slowly sank to one knee before her, showing her a nervous smile as his fingers fumbled for hers.

"I love you," he began softly, his voice a shaky whisper. "I think I fell in love with you the moment I first saw you, and that scared me more than anything. I'd lost everything, but I knew that if I woke up one day and you were gone, I wouldn't be able to live."

"Andros," she whispered through the lump in her throat as he paused for breath.

His grip on her fingers tightened briefly in the seconds before he dropped her hands, reaching into his pocket to produce a small black box. He opened it slowly, trying to force his trembling hands still enough to do so. Taking a deep breath, he looked straight into her teary brown eyes.

"Ashley, will you marry me?"

"Yes," she breathed, sinking slowly to the floor, kneeling down alongside of him and throwing her arms around his neck. The moment she did so, she felt Andros nearly collapse into her with relief, and she couldn't keep herself from giggling a bit. "Did you really think I was going to say no?"

"You did the first time," he whispered in her ear before he thought better of it, and she winced.

"I'm sorry," she murmured, now practically strangling him with her hug. "I love you, Andros."

"I know you do," he whispered. "I love you too, Ash."

Andros pried himself loose just long enough to pull the ring free from its box. He reached for her left hand, lightly caressing her knuckles with the underside of his thumb. Ashley's radiant smile beamed up at him as he carefully slipped the ring over the fourth finger of her left hand, sliding it along the length of her finger until it came to rest just above her knuckle.

"It's... gorgeous," she whispered, tears of joy spilling over her cheeks, blurring her vision.

"So are you," he said earnestly, grasping her gently by the chin, pulling her into the sweetest of kisses. As he raised her face to his, Ashley was left unable to doubt the complete sincerity of his words for even a single instant.

Andros stood, slipping his hands into hers and tugging her to her feet, gathering her into his arms as she continued to cry. Ashley buried her face in his shoulder, never wanting to forget the complete joy that surrounded the two of them at this moment.

The sound of several throats clearing at once forced them apart and they turned to face their friends, none of whom were bothering to act as though they hadn't been staring. The room exploded into cheering and congratulations as Andros slipped both his arms around Ashley's waist, hugging her hard as he tried to get his breathing under control.

"Mommy?"

They broke apart again as Tawny tugged on Ashley's pants leg, staring up at them curiously. Ashley crouched down until she was at eye level with Tawny, wiping her tears away with the back of her hand.

"What happened?" Tawny demanded. "Why you crying?"

"I'm crying because I'm happy," Ashley told her, now laughing through her tears. "Because Andros and I are going to get married."

"Married?" Tawny repeated. "What that?"

"It means that the three of us will be a family," she explained. "You'd like that, wouldn't you?"

"Family?" Tawny repeated. "He be my family?"

Ashley smiled. "He'd be your daddy."

"Daddy?" Now Tawny looked confused. "You say I don't have daddy."

"But when Andros and I get married, he becomes your daddy," Ashley said slowly. "Do you understand how that works?"

"He be my daddy?"

Tawny pointed at Andros, who was suddenly looking more anxious than he had when he'd asked Ashley to marry him. Ashley nodded, smiling.

"Yeah," she said. "He'd be your daddy."

"Okay."

Tawny nodded happily and Andros finally relaxed completely, sinking down to gather both of them up in his arms.


	27. Chapter 27

**Disclaimer:** Not mine... yet.

_**Ashley Hammond/Astro Yellow:** Tawny can say whatever she wants. :P _

_**Chylea3784:** Thanks, here's more._

_**Jenny:** I like them on Earth too, but what's wrong with KO-35?_

Chapter 27

"Night, Tawny," Ashley whispered, still smiling as she tucked her little daughter into bed that night. "When you wake up, we'll be home."

"Night, Mommy," Tawny mumbled, rolling onto her side. She pillowed her cheek on one small hand and added, "Night, Daddy."

"Night, angel," Andros whispered, a startled look of wonder on his face. "I'll see you in the morning."

With a soft smile playing on her lips, Ashley took Andros by the hand, entwining her fingers with his as she led him out of the room. The bright lights of the hall let her see clearly what the darkness of Tawny's room had not, and the expression of nearly uncontainable joy on his face was more than enough to cause any lingering doubts that Andros wasn't interested in being a father to vanish once and for all.

"She called you 'Daddy,' " Ashley murmured, leaning into his embrace eagerly the moment he reached out for her. "You really love her, don't you?"

Andros nodded his head slowly. "I really do, Ash."

"Why?" The question slipped out before she thought better of it, and she winced as Andros pulled back, staring at her with a slight look of confusion upon his face.

"Why do I love her?" he asked slowly, his eyes clouding over for a moment as he contemplated the question. "I don't think I have an answer for that, Ash."

"No, that's not what I meant," Ashley said, shaking her head. "It's just... I'm not doubting you, Andros, it's just that... you're only eighteen and you could be anywhere in the universe, with anyone you wanted, but you're here, with me and Tawny and you want to spend the rest of your life with us... I guess what I want to know is how I got so lucky."

"You saved me," he said simply.

Ashley watched him for a moment, studying his face carefully before she attempted speech. "That's so sweet," she managed to say around the lump in her throat.

"It's true."

Ashley buried her face in his neck before the expression on his face could drive her to tears, sighing contentedly as he kissed the top of her head, stifling a yawn that he couldn't see but somehow sensed.

"You should get some sleep," he murmured, not making the slightest move to release her from the warmth and safety of his arms. "I'll still be here in the morning."

She giggled softly and pulled back, smiling up at him fondly. "You'd better be."

"Come on," he said softly, sliding one arm around her waist and pulling her close. "I'll walk you to your room."

Ashley giggled again, but smiled warmly. "Andros, my room is three feet to the right."

"I'll walk you there anyway," he said sheepishly, blushing slightly. She laughed, resting her head against his shoulder as they walked over to her room slowly, dragging out the short stroll as long as they possibly could.

"Good night, Ash," he whispered, grasping her by the chin and drawing her into a deep kiss. She responded instantly, leaning into him with an eagerness that made it a near impossibility for him to pull away again.

"Come in?" she asked suddenly. She'd fallen asleep in his arms every night for the past two months, but he had always asked to remain with her, and she couldn't help wondering how much between them would change now that they were engaged.

Andros hesitated, briefly but visibly. "To sleep, you mean?" he asked, just needing to be sure.

Ashley nodded, saying softly, "I'm not sure I can sleep without you anymore."

"I know I can't sleep without you," he admitted a moment later, following her into the room without another thought. His warm-up sweatsuit, which now served as his pajamas, was laying crumpled on the floor of Ashley's bathroom where he had tossed it that morning before he showered. He went to retrieve it, but the tone of Ashley's voice stopped him.

"Andros?"

He turned. "Yeah?"

"Nothing," she said, apparently thinking better of what she'd been about to say. "Never mind."

He shrugged and stepped into the bathroom, picking his sweatsuit up off the tiled floor and changing quickly. By the time he returned to the room, Ashley was settled cross-legged on her bed, a smile of uncontainable joy on her face as she slowly ran the fingers of her right hand over the red and yellow gems of her engagement ring.

He stood silently and watched her for several moments, feeling it would be somehow wrong to pull her away from whatever was running through her mind. Several minutes later, Ashley finally looked up and scooted over to make room for him in bed.

"Sorry," she said, smiling sheepishly up at him. "How long were you standing there?"

He shrugged and smiled, sitting back against the pillows. "You just looked so happy."

"That's 'cause I am happy," she said, snuggling up close to him. "I love you."

"I love you too, Ash," he muttered in her ear, pressing a warm kiss to her temple.

"Andros?" She spoke tentatively, wanting an answer to her question, but not wanting to make him uncomfortable. "How long have you had this ring?"

The startled look on Andros's face was nearly comical, and she would have laughed if she hadn't been serious. "How did you know?"

"The yellow stone," she said. "It's the same as the one on my necklace. This ring is from KO-35, isn't it?"

"Yeah," Andros admitted, his face flushing slightly pink. "It is."

"You've been planning this for awhile, haven't you?" she accused him.

He nodded slowly. "Yeah."

"How long?" she pressed gently. "Tell me? Please?"

Andros sighed but met her gaze and held it steadily. "You really want to know?"

"I really want to know," Ashley confirmed, nodding her head instantly.

"I've had the ring since I left KO-35," he confessed almost shyly, not quite meeting her gaze. "I was going to ask you on your last birthday, but..."

He wisely decided to let the sentence go unfinished, and Ashley sighed softly, hugging him a little harder. His arms curved around her, crushing the air out of her lungs, and he rested his face against her hair, breathing in the familiar vanilla scent.

"So all the time I was doubting you, you were planning on marrying me?" she asked slowly, her voice now tinged with guilt. Squeezing him a little harder, she mumbled, "I'm sorry."

"Ash, don't," he muttered, shifting uncomfortably. "That's not how it happened, and you... you were right to doubt me."

He felt Ashley draw back and he looked away, sighing, granting her silent request for an explanation. "That day in your room, I... I almost walked away."

"I know that," she whispered. "But you didn't."

"I couldn't," he corrected her softly. "I couldn't walk away from you, Ash."

Her eyes bored into his for a long minute before her face relaxed into a smile. Murmuring, "I love you," she buried her face in his chest, comforted by his warmth.

"I love you too, Ash," he whispered, kissing the top of her head and inhaling deeply from the sweet vanilla scent of her shampoo. A muffled giggle reached his ear and he blushed, quickly drawing back as Ashley raised her head up off of his chest, an amused smile lighting her face.

For the longest time, she did nothing but gaze up into his eyes with a smile on her face, but her lips were suddenly pressed against his insistently. There was nothing in Andros strong enough to pull away and he returned the kiss hungrily. His arms snaked around her as he lay back down, pulling her down on top of him.

Ashley's eyes widenened slightly at the sudden wanting she saw spring into Andros's face. If she didn't pull away now, she knew where this was likely to take them, but somehow, she knew that no matter what happened between them this night, she would never regret it.

Sinking deeper into his embrace, she worked her arms underneath him, surrounding his body completely with her own. As she did so, whatever control Andros happened to still be in possession of deserted him and the hold he had her in grew ever stronger as he ran his tongue over her lips, his eyes silently begging her. Without hesitation, Ashley opened her mouth and leaned into him, suddenly needing him with every fiber of her being.

Ashley toyed with the hem of his shirt, slipping her fingers underneath the red fabric to brush lightly against his stomach. He shuddered and she started in surprise, amazed that such a relatively small touch affected him so strongly. Carefully, she slid her hands across his stomach and chest, pushing his shirt upward, feeling his heart thudding furiously beneath her fingers.

Then his shirt was gone and he was laying on her, his kisses becoming as demanding as they had ever been. The instant she felt his hands slide under her shirt to rest briefly on her waist, Ashley suddenly understood his earlier reaction. His touch was soft and feather light, yet somehow she couldn't think past the feel of his hands carefully exploring her bare skin, and when he pulled back abruptly, it was nearly enough to drive her completely crazy.

"Ash," he whispered hoarsely, trying to catch his breath. "Do you - "

"No," she said breathlessly, shaking her head before he had a chance to finish his question. "I don't want you to stop."

That was more than enough for Andros, and slowly, he tugged the T-shirt Ashley used as a pajama top up over her head, throwing it carelessly aside without once taking his eyes from hers. He settled himself over her again, both of them gasping at the sensation of skin against skin.

"You're beautiful," he murmured between kisses, his lips trailing slowly down her neck. Andros was vaguely aware that his pants seemed to be growing smaller and smaller and he kissed her hard, just needing her, just wanting her.

Ashley was feeling much the same way, but when Andros's hands moved to her waist, his fingers tugging at the tie to her pajama pants, she froze, her mind beginning to function again.

"Andros..."

Ashley's fingers pressed against his lips lightly, gently pushing him away as she turned her face from his. Andros closed his eyes and rolled off of her, taking care to face the wall in place of her.

"I'm sorry," he said, his voice still low and breathless.

"I'm not," Ashley said quietly a moment later, her breathing as labored as his. She reached out to lay a hand timidly on his shoulder, and she felt him stiffen, but a few seconds later, he'd raised one hand to rest over hers.

"Then why - "

"I'm scared," she said simply, shifting onto her side as she tried to explain. "Not just because of anything that's happened, but... because it's us, I guess, and I don't know... it felt right, but if we... it'll change so much..."

Exhaling slowly, Andros rolled over to face her, somehow managing to keep his eyes on her face instead of letting them wander elsewhere. "What, exactly, are you scared of?" he asked, as gently as he could.

Ashley sighed and shrugged, now looking completely miserable. "I don't know," she exclaimed, clearly frustrated with herself. "I guess... it's just too new."

"So you're scared because... because you've never done this before?"

"Yeah," Ashley muttered, nodding her head. "Something like that."

"Then... I'm scared too," Andros admitted quietly.

"What do you have to be scared of?" she asked, half jokingly, but with genuine curiosity in her voice. "I mean..."

Andros sighed and shrugged. "Hurting you somehow, or..."

"Or what?" she prompted gently when he let his voice trail off and made no move to speak again. "Andros..."

"I don't know," he cried, the sudden intensity of his voice startling her. He exhaled slowly, waiting until he had calmed down to go on."It doesn't make any sense, Ash, not with the way we were just... If you hadn't stopped me, I wouldn't have stopped myself, but now, I'm glad that you did. I - "

He stopped and shrugged, staring at her almost desperately, willing her to understand. "I love you Ash, but there's something in me that doesn't want to let go, no matter how much I want it to."

"That makes sense," she insisted. After a moment of brief hesitation, she added, "That's what always stopped me before... Maybe it'll be what stops me next time."

"But there was a reason for that," Andros protested. "Someone hurt you. Nothing's ever happened to me that should keep me - "

"Andros," Ashley interrupted before he had a chance to go on. "Hurt is hurt. It doesn't matter if it was rape or if it was something else. Once you've been hurt, you have to protect yourself however you can."

"But I don't need to protect myself from you," he muttered. "I love you, Ash, but I..."

"It's all right," she whispered when he let his voice trail off. "I... I'm not ready for this, either... and we have forever, Andros. There's no reason to rush anything."

He nodded his agreement, unable to help feeling a twinge of disappointment, and wondering if he hadn't heard the same in her voice. No matter what words had just passed between them, he still wanted her more than words could say, and their current positions weren't helping him to regain the control he had lost earlier.

"I should go," Andros announced abruptly, his eyes refusing to remain fixated on her face for any longer. "Good night, Ash."

"Wait," she pleaded, catching ahold of his arm as he sat up. "Don't go."

"Ash..."

"Stay," she insisted. "Just for tonight?"

"I can't," he said, gently prying her hands off of his arm. "I shouldn't."

"You shouldn't," she agreed, but her hands fastened themselves onto his wrist again. "But if you go, I know that the first thing you'll do in the morning is apologize for this, and.. and I don't want you to."

It was, at best, a flimsy excuse, however true it might be, but Andros didn't want to leave any more than she wanted him to, and he gave in, laying back down beside her, stopping just short of taking her into his arms.

Ashley suddenly realizing that they were lying side by side in a bed designed for one person, both of them completely naked from the waist up. Noticing also that Andros wasn't staring at her face any longer, she rolled over quickly, snatching their shirts up from the ground.

"Thanks," Andros muttered, breaking the awkward silence that had fallen between them as he reached out to take his shirt from her. Pulling it back over his head, he fell back onto the mattress, staring carefully up at the bottom of the top bunk until he felt Ashley lay down beside him.

"Andros? Do you... do you think about me... like this?"

Color flooded his face and he looked away, wondering just why she'd chosen to ask that particular question. He was just about to assure her that he didn't think of her in ways that he probably shouldn't when he saw the intent look in her wide brown eyes and settled for answering truthfully.

"Does it bother you that I do?"

"No," she said slowly, to his surprise. "I trust you, Andros, and I... I think about you."

Andros swallowed, his throat suddenly very dry. He had no idea how he was supposed to respond to **that**, but he felt that he should. "Ash, I - "

His voice died away as Ashley laughed softly. It was a sound he treasured and hadn't heard often enough, so he fell silent, relaxing almost against his will.

"I'm sorry," Ashley apologized softly, twining her fingers around his. "I didn't mean to embarrass you. Just forget about it, all right?"

Relieved, Andros let out his breath and pulled her closer, trying very hard to forget the feel her her skin against his. Ashley seemed to be having the same difficultly, for she kept shifting around in his arms, seemingly unable to relax.

"Andros?"

Her voice floated to him through the darkness. Andros smiled as she snuggled a bit closer to him, already knowing what she was going to say.

"I love you."


	28. Chapter 28

**Disclaimer:** Not mine, probably never will be...

_**Chylea3784:** Jeff will definitely be at the wedding. Ashley needs someone to walk her down the aisle. _

_**Ashley Hammond/Astro Yellow: **I'm not allowed to be evil? Have you seen the rest of this story:P Here's more, don't worry, they'll get there..._

_**C.C.C:** Ashley is a lot happier, but she's still got a lot of emotional stuff to deal with. You'll see everything later._

_**Jenny:** Yay! I'm not perverted:P _

Chapter 28

"We have arrived at KO-35."

Deca's announcement drew Ashley out of a deep sleep. She glared sleepily at the red eye mounted the opposite corner of the room before letting her eyes slide shut once again, thinking that she could do with another hour or so of rest. Then her eyes landed on Andros asleep beside her and she came wide awake at once.

_Last night..._ she remembered slowly. _We almost..._

Andros stirred beside her, inching closer to her although he appeared to still be fast asleep. The expression on his face was uncharacteristically peaceful, even a hint of a smile on his face. Andros was **never **so relaxed.

_Except when he's looking at you,_ she thought unbidden and sighed, shaking her head to banish the thought. She truly hated to wake him when he looked like that, but she knew that if she didn't do it now, Zhane would appear in a few minutes to do so himself in a much more unpleasant way.

"Andros," she whispered, leaning over him to shake his shoulder several times and getting no response. She sighed and smoothed his hair back from his eyes, feeling him twitch as she did so. Encouraged, she repeated his name a little more firmly and was rewarded by his eyes squinting open.

"Ash?" he mumbled. "You should be asleep..."

"Deca disagrees," she said wryly. "Come on, wake up, we're orbiting KO-35."

"That's nice," he muttered, his eyes drooping shut. "Wake me up when we get there."

Ashley laughed softly and shook her head before laying back down beside him and pressing her mouth against his. Andros responded to the kiss instantly, although his eyes still remained closed. He shifted and Ashley found his arms wrapped firmly around her, nearly crushing her as the innocent kiss escalated into something more heated.

The night before played itself out in Ashley's mind and she pulled back with some reluctance. While she regretted nothing, she wasn't eager for the scenario to repeat itself either.

Andros finally opened his eyes. He regarded her seriously for a moment before pushing himself into a sitting position and offering her a nervous smile.

"Last night," he said slowly, his sleepy eyes clearing as memory obviously returned to him.

"Yeah..." Ashley reddened and let her voice dwindle into nothingness as Andros shifted uncomfortably. "Last night..."

"Ash... you don't, um, you don't regret it, do you?"

"No," she told him firmly. She sighed. "If you want the truth, I enjoyed it. A lot, but... like we said last night, we're not ready for this."

"I know." Andros sighed. "I guess I should sleep in my own bed for awhile, huh?"

"Yeah," Ashley said with some reluctance. She knew that they weren't ready to move any further than they had, but falling asleep in Andros's arms had become so natural to her that she didn't want to have to live without it ever again.

Andros reached out to her slowly, ready to pull back if she resisted. When she didn't, he drew her into his arms, cradling her against his chest as she made a small noise of contentment. A moment later, something occured to her and she shifted reluctantly, tilting her head back to stare up at his face.

"We've been in orbit around KO-35 for the last fifteen minutes, by the way."

Andros didn't respond, but the sudden flash of emotion in his hazel eyes told Ashley everything she needed to know. She sighed quietly and reached up to touch his cheek, making him look at her for once.

"You didn't abandon them," she insisted, knowing that she was wasting her breath. "You **never** failed them. They love you, Andros. You saved them all."

He shot her an empty smile. "You really believe that."

"Yeah," she said vehemently. "I do. And you should, too."

He nodded slowly, casting his eyes downward as her gaze suddenly became knowing.

"So this is why you wanted to come back," she said softly. "You want to make up for everything you think you've done wrong."

"You're half right," he admitted, not elaborating any further than that.

"And the other half is..." she prodded gently.

"I could have spent my entire life on Earth just to be with you," he told her finally. "But it would have only been my home because of you."

"This is your home," she said simply, nodding with understanding. "It's where you belong."

He shook his head, his smile genuine now. "I belong with you," he told her seriously. "You and Tawny. I'd be happy anywhere with the two of you."

"Just happier here," she finished, and he nodded, smiling.

"I love you," he whispered in her ear.

"Love you too," she whispered back.

"It is seven o'clock," Deca interrupted. "Do you wish for me to hail KO-35 and begin docking procedures?"

"Not just yet," Andros said. He turned to Ashley. "You'd better eat now, and shower too. We're likely to be attacked as soon as we step off of the ship."

"I will," she said, her smile fading some as she asked hesitantly, "Andros? Will they... will they accept me here?"

"Why wouldn't they?" he countered. "Because you're from Earth?"

Ashley nodded, deliberating for a few seconds before adding, "And because of Tawny..."

"What about Tawny?" Andros looked at her in surprise but answered his own question a moment later. "Because you're so young?"

Ashley nodded again.

"You don't have to worry about that," Andros assured her, explaining, "You're probably younger than most of the mothers now, but it's fairly common here for children to be born to parents still in their teens."

Ashley relaxed visibly, although she looked faintly surprised. "Everyone here gets married young?"

"Most do," he confirmed and she couldn't help asking, "Why?"

"I think it was originally encouraged to populate the colony faster," Andros admitted with a wry grin. "But... most of us are drawn to only one person in the course of our entire lifetimes."

"So you all get one true love?"

Andros nodded. "Something like that."

"What about you?" she asked suddenly. "Was there ever - "

"No," he broke in softly. "There's never been anyone, only you."

"Wow," she breathed, something suddenly clicking. "Is that why it hurt you so much, when I wouldn't let you near me?"

"Yeah," he admitted. "It felt like... like I was torn in half, I guess."

"I felt that way too," Ashley told him suddenly. "I really was afraid, but I just wanted to run to you anyway..."

"I guess I should have told you, then?"

"Yeah," she agreed, suddenly grinning. "But if you'd asked me to marry you while we were watching Haley's Comet, I would have thought you were crazy. Incredibly sweet, but crazy."

Andros looked away too quickly and her eyes widened. "You weren't going to!"

"No," he said, staring down at his hands. "I just knew I wanted to."

"I love you, Andros," Ashley murmured, reaching out to stroke his cheek. "So much."

"Zhane and Karone are now awake," Deca broke in. "They wish for me to hail KO-35 and being docking procedures."

"Go ahead, Deca," Andros said, sighing inwardly at the thought of having to move Ashley out of his arms. "I guess we should get up."

"Probably," she agreed. She paused. "Zhane said we'd be living in your parents house?"

"Yeah," Andros confirmed, his tone now tinged with sadness. "Everything that was theirs is mine now."

He paused, hesitating. "Ashley... would you mind if I got rid of it all?"

"It's your stuff," Ashley assured him with a shake of her head. "Bad taste?"

"No." Andros shook his head slowly. "Bad memories."

Ashley sighed quietly. She still had only a vague idea of what his family life had been on KO-35, but she did know that it had been a hell on earth for him. She reached out to clasp his hand, squeezing his fingers as he tried to force a shaky smile.

"You don't want to live in that house, do you?"

"No, I do," Andros said. He must have noticed her surprise, for he added, "You were able to face your past, Ash. This is the only way that I can face mine."

"I wasn't," she mumbled. "I ran away. Three galaxies away."

"You didn't," Andros insisted, somehow not surprised that she still thought so little of herself. "You went back and stood up to him, Ash."

"I ran away," she repeated. "I might have stood up to him, but in the end, I ran away from him. He won't be in prison forever."

"No," he agreed, his eyes darkening. "But you don't have to worry about him trying to come after you for a long time."

"But he will," she whispered. "He's not that old, Andros, only forty one. If he behaves right, he'll only be fifty six when he gets out. I ran away from him."

"Is that the only reason you're here?" Andros asked suddenly, hurt. "To run?"

"No!" Ashley exclaimed. "Andros, I love you, and I can't live without you anymore."

"It just doesn't hurt that I live three galaxies away from Earth?"

"Yeah," she muttered. "Look, Andros... I'm trying to let go, I really am, it's just... hard, sometimes, for me to believe that... that I'm worth something, I guess, because I can't see it... and I guess I need you to tell me something a hundred times before I even start to believe it."

Andros nodded, smiling gently at her. "I know what you mean, Ash," he said quietly, staring down at his hands. "All the good that you swear you see in me, I can't see it myself, not without you to show it to me."

"Then we're even," Ashley said, looking relieved. He glanced at her strangely and she explained, "I just don't want you to do more for me than I do for you. It's not fair to you, especially after you spent all that time with me and Tawny..."

"Ash, I love you," Andros said quietly. "You know I don't see it that way... We're supposed to make each other stronger."

"I think we do," she said finally, offering a hesitant smile.

"I know we do," Andros said firmly. "Or at least, you make me stronger... Ash, just please, try to see yourself for who you really are. I promise you you're not a bad person."

Ashley nodded, her smile becoming a true one, reaching out to clasp his hand. "Neither are you, Andros," she told him softly. "Thanks."

"What for?" Andros couldn't help asking.

Ashley shrugged, not entirely sure herself. "For being here," she told him finally. "For loving me."

Andros smiled, squeezing the fingers still resting over his. He slowly ran his thumb around the ring settled over the fourth finger of her left hand.

"Somehow," he said, "I think I should be thanking you."


	29. Chapter 29

**Disclaimer:** Not mine, never was, never will be.

_**Ashley Hammond/Astro Yellow:** I updated! Happy?_

_**Jenny:** I really needed to write a little bit of fluff... This chapter is pretty fluffly, too. If 'other' stuff just means them not spending the whole chapter saying 'I love you' then here's some other stuff. If 'other' stuff means something else, wait a few more chapters. :P_

_**Melissa:** Well... technically, they already have one child, if you count Tawny. If you don't, Ashley can't have anymore kids. _

Chapter 29

"Done," Ashley said cheerfully, hopping down off of the teetery stool. She exhaled slowly, wrinkling her nose. "Andros, it stinks in here."

"I know," he said, coming up behind her to catch her in his arms despite the fact that they were both covered from head to toe in paint. "But all the windows are already open..."

"And after all that time you spent bragging about KO-35 being better than Earth," she teased him. "You guys don't even have odorless paint."

"Neither does Earth."

Ashley twisted around in his arms for the sole purpose of sticking her tongue out at him. "That's not the point... and this isn't really facepaint, Andros."

He glared at her, but the expression lost most of its effectiveness when he grinned ruefully. "Tell that to your daughter," he said dryly. "She disagrees. It's supposed to be a bunny."

"You **let** her do this to you?" Ashley demanded, biting her lip in an unsuccessful effort to muffle her laughter as she fingered the rapidly drying splotch of yellow paint on his left cheek.

"No," he admitted.

"Andros, how hard is it to fight off a two-year-old?"

"When her favorite uncle has me in a chokehold, hard."

"It was your idea to let Zhane help," she reminded him, quivering as she tried to get her laughter under control.

"Actually, it was Tawny's." He paused. "I think she was planning this."

"Hey, we're done!" Zhane announced proudly, piggybacking Tawny into the kitchen, Karone on his heels. "That's the whole house."

"How does it look?" Ashley asked warily, directing the question at Karone, who grinned.

"Very... yellow," she said finally. "But you covered the floors with paper and there's not too much on the ceiling..."

"Good enough," Ashley decided, wincing silghtly.

"It has to be," Andros pointed out. "We don't have time to repaint anything. It won't dry by the time the furniture comes in the morning."

Ashley's eyes lit up at the mention of furniture. "So we won't be sleeping on the living room floor?"

"It made painting easier," he defended himself.

"All right, it did," Ashley admitted. "And it's not that bad sleeping on carpet... but beds are better than sleeping bags."

"I want a bed!"

"It'll be here in the morning," Andros assured Tawny, ruffling her paint-smeared brown hair.

"I think it's time we went home," Karone said, grimacing as she surveyed her arms. "I'd like to get this off of me before it dries."

Ashley laughed softly, glancing down at Tawny warily. "You're not the only one... Thanks for your help, guys."

"You owe us," Karone informed her flatly, grinning as she and Zhane left through the back door. "G'night."

"Well, we're done," Andros said dryly. "What now?"

"Bathtime,"Ashley said firmly, scooping Tawny up in her arms just as the little girl began inching away. "And guess who's going first?"

"No bath," Tawny whined, struggling to get down. "I not dirty!"

"No," Andros agreed with a grin. "You're filthy. Go on."

Tawny kicked and whined as Ashley carried her up the paper-covered stairs, and into the bathroom, but the instant Ashley turned the faucet on, she struggled down, intending to dive into the empty tub. Rolling her eyes, Ashley somehow managed to strip off her ruined clothes before allowing her to climb into the bathtub.

"How did you get paint on your **back**?" she demanded aloud, emptying the contents of the shampoo bottle onto her daughter's head as Tawny amused herself with the rapidly growing mountain of bubbles. "Did you lie down in it?"

Tawny suddenly looked decidedly guilty. Ashley groaned. "What happened?"

"Daddy not like bunnies," she said finally.

Ashley burst out laughing, gripping the edge of the tub to keep herself from falling in as her entire body shook. "Tawny..." she managed to gasp out. "That's what you get."

"Ash?" Andros called, tapping lightly on the door.

"Come in," she shouted, standing Tawny up and wrapping her in a towel as she lifted her out of the tub.

"I brought her some pajamas," Andros said, opening the door slowly. She saw immediately that he'd already showered, and was now dressed in what had been his warm-up sweatsuit, the closest she suspected he'd ever come to wearing pajamas himself.

He hovered near the doorway and eyed Tawny warily, as if he expected her to attack him. Tawny was grinning back at him, looking as though she was considering it. Ashley rolled her eyes, wondering how they had managed to paint anything at all.

"Thanks," Ashley said, sighing tiredly as she reached out to take Tawny's pajamas. She turned to set them on the counter, wincing as she heard Andros's startled exclamation the instant she took her eyes off her daughter.

She whirled around to see Tawny happily flinging the bubbles floating on the surface of the water at Andros, and although he was doing a halfway decent job of dodging her, was making no move to stop her himself.

"Tawny," Ashley cried, grabbing her hands. "No, don't do that!"

"But Daddy get paint on me!"

"You got paint on him first," Ashley reminded her, shaking her head and handing Tawny her pajamas. "Here. Go get dressed in your room."

Tawny scampered off, half-heartedly attempting to kick Andros in the ankle as she passed him by on her way out. Ashley sighed heavily and drained the tub, impatiently waiting for the bubbles to swirl away.

"How can one little girl make so much of a mess?" she wondered aloud, surveying the soaked floors and slowly shrinking patches of bubbles in dismay.

Andros shook his head and shrugged, but grinned despite himself. "I'll clean it up," he offered.

"That's sweet of you, but I'll just do it," she said, sighing, beginning to mop up the water. "You're already clean, and I still need a shower anyway."

"Ash, you're practically falling asleep." Andros bent down and gently pried the towels out of her hands. "Use the other bathroom."

Ashley stared at him uncertainly for a moment before nodding gratefully. "Thank you," she murmured, moving to throw her arms around his neck, stopping only when she realized she was not only still covered in paint but drenched in water as well.

"Go," Andros insisted, somehow managing to kiss her while keeping a safe distance between them.

"I love you," she whispered before leaving him to clean up the mess Tawny had made earlier.

The downstairs bathroom was considerably smaller, and had room for only a shower stall and not a tub, but the room itself was peaceful and quiet, a welcome break from all the shouting that had gone on during the day.

It was still strangely quiet when she emerged fifteen minutes later, much more relaxed than she had been when she'd gone in. She went off in search of Andros and Tawny, not surprised to find them eating on the living room floor, as the freshly painted kitchen wasn't the best place to sit down for dinner.

"Hey," Andros greeted her, his eyes lighting up the way they always did when she walked into a room. "Sorry we didn't wait for you, but Tawny's starving."

"It's all right," she assured him, sinking down between them on the sleeping bags. "I'm too tired to eat, anyway."

"You look it," Andros informed her. "Did you do the entire kitchen yourself?"

"Sorta," she admitted. "Karone helped for awhile."

"Done," Tawny announced, waving her fork in the air. "Dessert!"

"Not tonight," Andros said firmly, gathering up his and Tawny's plates. "You sure you don't want anything, Ash?"

"Yeah," she said. "I'm sure."

Andros returned empty handed a moment later to find Ashley already curled up on the red sleeping bag and Tawny somersaulting across the yellow one. He laughed quietly as she stood and attempted to walk, falling straight back down.

"Go to sleep," he told her, handing her the blanket that lay crumpled a few feet away. "Now."

"Night, Daddy," she said, obediant for the first time that day.

"Night, angel," he replied, wondering what he'd been thinking in choosing that particular name for her.

"Andros?" Ashley asked softly.

He jumped, exhaling slowly as he stepped over her. "I thought you were asleep!"

"Sorry," she whispered. "I can't sleep...How many rooms did we paint yellow?"

He laughed quietly as he settled himself behind her, his arms automatically encircling her waist. "Four," he said after some consideration. "And the halls... I like it."

Ashley laughed as well, rolling over to curl up against his chest. "I do too, but that's still a lot of yellow."

"I seem to remember you being the one with objections to red walls," he said with a grin. "Besides, all the yellow reminds me of you."

"You need a reminder?" she teased.

"All the yellow makes me think of you," he amended, laughing.

"Quiet," Tawny whined from over to their left. "Can't sleep."

"Sorry," Andros said softly. "Ash?"

"Yeah?"

"Come with me?" he asked quietly, careful not to disturb Tawny again.

"Sure," she murmured, struggling up into a sitting position. "Outside?"

"Yeah," he said, wrapping the blanket around his shoulders before offering Ashley a hand up.

A moment later, Andros was settling himself on the cool cement-like steps He pulled Ashley down into his lap a moment later and wrapped the blanket around them both as they relaxed in the silence and the safety of each other's arms.


	30. Chapter 30

**Disclaimer:** Last I checked, most of this stuff was copyright by Disney. As far as I know, only Tawny and Ash's parents are mine.

_**Ashley Hammond/Astro Yellow:** I swear, you are psychic or something._

Chapter 30

"It's nice out here," Ashley said finally, sighing contentedly. "Peaceful."

Andros simply nodded his agreement, too lazy to speak. Ashley snuggled closer to him, nuzzling her face into the junction between his neck and shoulder. The Karovan moon beamed down upon them, bathing them in a soft light.

"Andros?" she whispered.

"Yeah?" he mumbled back.

"When's the wedding?"

He woke up a little at that. It had been nearly a month since their engagement, but they had yet to discuss the actual wedding. Andros hesitated briefly; he could have married her right then, but he very much doubted that he would help matters any by teasing her at that particular moment.

In the end, he settled for saying, "When do you want it to be?"

"Not for a few more months, at least," Ashley said after a slight pause. "I know we're pretty much living together, but..."

"I know," he assured her. "How about five or six months from now?"

"That's... I think that's good," she said tentatively.

"Ash, we don't have to set a date right now," he pointed out, placing a kiss in her hair. "Whenever you want, we'll have our wedding."

"I love you," she whispered, smiling as he stroked her hair. "You know,when I was a little girl... I think I started planning my wedding when I was Tawny's age. I'd dress up in anything white my mom had and dance around the house... I've always had this idea of my perfect wedding, but now... I've realized that perfect doesn't happen, and somehow, that makes everything else so much more special."

Andros smiled into her hair, inhaling the scent of her shampoo with a quiet sigh. He'd missed this side of her so much more than he'd realized, and was immensely grateful that she allowed herself to show it once again.

"If you want the perfect wedding, you can have it," he told her. "Ash, I honestly know nothing about weddings."

"It doesn't matter anymore," Ashley told him, a little sadly. "The white dress and the veil and the twenty tier cake and a fifty foot long train. It doesn't matter... Weddings are supposed to be about the two people who are standing up to tell the love of their live that they would die without them. They're not supposed to be about stuff. It was a nice fantasy, but Andros... as long as I'm marrying you, nothing else matters."

"I love you, Ash," he whispered. "But if you want both me and all that stuff, you can have it, you know."

"I know," she assured him. "I don't want it anymore."

"Is there anything that you **do** want?"

"Well... I do want the white dress," she admitted. "I've never pictured myself getting married in something other than a wedding dress."

"And Tawny needs a dress too?" Andros guessed.

"Yeah." Ashley grinned. "Especially if she's going to be our flower girl."

"Flower girl?"

"Umm... she's there, well, basically she's there to look cute," Ashley explained. "And then she'll have a little basket of flower petals to sprinkle on the ground..."

"You're going to give her **permission** to throw things?" he asked increduously. Andros's face was still buried in her hair, but Ashley could hear the grin in his voice quite clearly.

"Of course not, silly," she laughed. "Besides, flower petals can't hurt anyone... not like bubbles."

Andros blushed. "Oh yeah..."

"Just kidding," she said with a grin. Her tone suddenly serious, she added thoughtfully,"You're good with her, Andros."

He didn't speak for a moment, but she didn't need to see his face to know that he was smiling broadly. "That... means a lot to me, Ash."

"It's true," she told him. "Where'd you learn to be so good with kids, anyway?"

"I don't know," Andros said after a momentary pause. "I've only been around Tawny."

"You're a natual, then," Ashley said, smiling as she relaxed against him, knowing that no matter what lay ahead for them, Andros would always protect Tawny just as fiercely as she would, and love her just as much as she did.

Andros laughed suddenly, the sound echoing back to them quietly. "You know," he said softly. "If you'd told me a year ago that I'd have everything, I would never have believed it, but now... I wouldn't trade this for anything."

"I'd never have thought that this would mean everything to you," Ashley admitted with an apologetiic grin. "I mean, it's so..."

"Normal?" he supplied wryly. "Peaceful? Happy?"

Ashley shifted in his arms and he had to grin. "Yeah..."

"This is what I was fighting for," he said, shrugging, his tone turning serious. "By the time I met you guys, I'd lost hope of ever having this back. You know this, but Ash, I'll never be able to thank any of you enough for giving me back that hope."

"Anything for you," Ashley said with a little grin, pressing a kiss to the crook of his neck, the only part of him she could reach without having to turn her head. The pressure on her midriff suddenly intensified, causing her to gasp for air as Andros nearly crushed her in his arms.

"I love you," he whispered. "Ash, I love you."

"I love you, Andros," she whispered back. "I still can't believe I have the rest of my life with you."

"Neither can I," he admitted a moment later. "I was so sure that once the trial ended, you'd want someone better."

"Andros, there is **no one** better than you," she said firmly. "You were the one that never left my side during all that. You never even let go of my hand... Other people might have done that, but they would never have accepted Tawny the way you did. You were so... sweet to her, and I **know** you wanted nothing to do with her."

"At first," he admitted. "But now... Ash, she's as good as mine, and I swear to you that I'll never treat her any different that if she was my own daughter."

"I know you will," Ashley whispered, her voice suddenly choked. Her smile slowly slipped away, leaving her on the verge of tears.

"Ash?"

"Andros, I want children," she whispered, the longing in her voice enough to break his heart several times over. "I want them so much."

"I know you do, Ash," he said, stroking her silky soft hair. "I do too."

"Then why do you want me?" she demanded. "You can have a family. You want one."

"I have one," he said vehemently, his tone softening as he added, "I can live with just Tawny, but Ash, I could never live without you."

Her eyes spilled over just as he finished speaking. Sighing heavily, Andros hugged Ashley close, helpless to comfort her. It wasn't fair, he thought bitterly, placing a tender kiss on the top of her head. So much had been taken from her that could never be returned, and the twenty years Terry had been sentenced to pay didn't amount to anything at all for Ashley.

"Ash," he said hesitantly, unsure of how she'd react to his words. "If you wanted... in a few years, maybe, we could... adopt a child."

"That's not the same," she wailed, sobbing into his chest. "I want my own children. I want to give birth to them and nurse them and rock them to sleep their first night."

Andros held her silently after that, not willing to risk upsetting her again. Wordlessly, he rocked her back and forth in his arms, wishing that there was something - anything - that he could do to mend her broken heart.

"Adoption," Ashley repeated slowly some minutes later, taking several shuddering breaths to bring herself back under control. "Do they do that here?"

"Not specifically on KO-35," he said, and her face fell. Hurriedly, he added, "But it's not hard to find a child that needs a home."

"I want my own children," Ashley whispered again. "But if that's the only way that I can have a child with you..."

"We don't have to decide anything now," Andros pointed out.

"I want children," Ashley said firmly, her heart quickly warming to the idea. "My family was so small..."

"How many?" he asked tentatively, unable to guess how she would take the question. He relaxed only when he saw the hint of a smile that appeared on her face.

"I want a huge family," she confessed. "Five or six."

"Five or six?" Andros repeated, not entirely sure just how he should react to that.

"How many do you want?"

"I don't know," he answered honestly. "I could be happy with any number."

"I only wanted one or two," Ashley admitted sadly. "But then the doctors told me I'd only have Tawny and I wanted so many more... "

"You'll have them," Andros promised her. "Maybe not how you imagined, but if you want children, we'll have them."

"Thank you," she breathed in his ear. "That's all I really want now. Our own family."

"We've got that," Andros reminded her, and she had to smile, albeit a brief smile. "It's just a little small right now."

"Yeah," Ashley agreed. "We do."

"You don't mind if we wait a few years to come back to this, do you?" Andros asked hesitantly, eyeing her anxiously. "I promise you, I would love to have more children with you, but... Tawny seems enough for now, doesn't she?"

"Yeah," Ashley admitted. "She is definitely enough for now. I honestly don't think I could handle another child right now."

"Then we'll wait a year or two?"

Ashley nodded almost happily. "I love you so much," she whispered, squeezing his fingers. "Thank you."

"I love you, Ash," he whispered back, kissing her lips lightly.

"Andros?"

"Yeah?"

"Are you cold?"

"Yeah," he admitted, standing up without letting her out of his lap, the result being Ashley ended up cradled against his chest. "Do you think you can sleep now?"

Ashley nodded into his chest as he carried her inside. Tawny was asleep when they returned to the living room, and Ashley fell drifted off soon after, but Andros lay awake for some time afterward, replaying their conversation in his head several times. He fell asleep determined that one way or another, Ashley was going to have the family that she'd always dreamed of.


	31. Chapter 31

**Disclaimer:** If I owned it, they'd do this stuff onscreen and I wouldn't have to write it.

_**Melissa:** All right... we've talked about the miracle babies already... The issue of me and my imaginary friends will take more time to write than the rest of this story. :P_

_**Ashley Hammond/Astro Yellow:** Of course he will :P This is actually the most days in a row that I've ever updated. _

_**Chylea3784:** I've never thought of the real wedding being in conversations like that one, but it really makes a whole lot of sense, and I love the idea. Weddings really are just big parties. The wedding is in here, though._

_**Jenny:** I like the idea of adoption, too... It doesn't actually get used in this story, but we'll see what happens in the sequel. :P _

**Author's Note:** This chapter contains mature (but not really all that graphic) situations. In other words: they have sex (finally!) Don't like, don't read past where Andros says good night. Otherwise, please be nice...

Chapter 31

"Happy birthday, Ash," Andros told her for the thousandth time that day, faintly grinning as the waiter cleared their dinner plates away, setting down two menus edged with gold.

"I'll be back in just a moment," he assured them.

"Thanks," Ashley said to his retreating back before turning her attention to the menu.

If nothing else, Karovan restaurant menus were fascinating. While they looked not dissimilar to the ones Ashley was accustomed to back on Earth, if she laid her finger lightly over the name of any particular dish, a holographic image immediately appeared, showing her just what she was considering.

"Hey, that's ice cream," she exclaimed softly.

"Ice cream is universal," Andros informed her, hiding his amusement well.

"Oh yeah?" she retorted. "Since when?"

"Since a few weeks ago," Andros admitted. "Eltar and Aquitar both sent ambassadors to Earth, and news travels fast..."

Ashley laughed. "So ice cream is Earth's best feature?"

"Apparently so," Andros remarked. He grinned. "Don't tell Tawny."

"I'll leave that to Zhane," she assured him wryly. "Hey, did he ever go see Cassie?"

"So she could drag him all through Angel Grove to find the perfect suit, you mean?"

"It's called a tuxedo," she shot back. "You should know that by now."

"Yeah, because it took you two nine hours to decide on the 'perfect' one for me," he grumbled, but he didn't bother to hide his smile. "Don't worry, Cassie sent us a message over the comm while you were in the shower. Both Karone and Zhane have everything they need, and so do TJ, Carlos, Jeff, and Tawny. And herself."

"That just leaves me," Ashley said with a nervous sort of grin. "I've only got five more weeks to find a dress..."

"Only?" Andros repeated, raising an eyebrow at her. "It's one dress."

"It has to be the perfect dress."

"You'll look perfect in anything," Andros assured her. He paused. "Do I even see you in the dress?"

"Of course you do, silly," she said. "You just can't see the dress before the wedding, and you can't see me the day of the wedding before the ceremony."

Andros rolled his eyes. Of all the wedding customs he'd come into contact with, Earth's were some of the silliest. He was firmly of the opinion that the people of Earth had far too many superstitions and traditions, but Ashley seemed determined to follow at least half of them, insisting that it would bring them good luck. He'd thougth she was joking, but didn't dare comment, just in case she hadn't been.

The waiter returned then, and they ordered some dessert, their conversation turning back to the wedding once he had departed. They had decided to postpone what Ashley had termed their 'honeymoon' for a few months at least, and had opted in favor of a shorter vacation with Tawny a week or so after the wedding.

"Remind me again how the blessings go," she said, wrinkling her nose as she reconsidered the dessert just set before her.

"It's almost the same thing as apple pie," Andros assured her, noticing her sudden wariness. "And the blessings are easy. You and I each choose one person, and that person gives their approval to the other."

He'd been pleasantly surprised when she'd asked him about Karovan wedding ceremonies, and in the end, they had decided on a Karovan ceremony. There wasn't much difference between the wedding ceremonies Ashley had seen performed on Earth, except for the fact that there were no lengthy vows. All that was required of any couple was a simple promise to love always.

"So... you're saying I need Zhane's permission to marry you?" Ashley giggled at the mental image that accompanied the thought. Andros made a face at her, but even he had to laugh.

"Not exactly," he said. "He's **supposed** to just tell you that he thinks I chose right when I chose you, but well, you know Zhane..."

"What's he going to do?" she demanded. While Zhane's pranks had been a constant source of amusement, if anything went wrong at her wedding...

"He won't ruin anything," Andros hastened to say. He grinned. "He can't, or I'll get him back when he marries Karone. I think he's just going to slip in a story or two."

Ashley groaned but grinned ruefully. "I guess it's too much to hope for that they'll be nice stories?"

Andros laughed. "Well, you know what to expect from Zhane. I'm not sure I want to know what Cassie's going to say."

"She'll say something like you're the perfect guy for me and that she can tell just by looking at us how perfect we are together," Ashley said instantly. "Cassie's a hopeless romantic."

"That's what I was afraid of," he muttered just loudly enough to be heard and she laughed.

"Just because you get embarrassed whenever people realize that you actually have a heart..." she teased him lightly, grinning. "Besides, at least Cassie won't tell the story of how we met."

"You mean the story where you thought I was a lizard?" he retorted. "There's nothing wrong with her telling that story."

"Then Zhane can tell the story of why you finally worked up the nerve to ask me out," she shot back.

"Anyway," Andros said quickly, trying hard to suppress a grin. "After Cassie and Zhane talk, then we're supposed to say something to each other."

"I remember that much," Ashley said. "Kinda like wedding vows on Earth, but not any of the 'for rich or for poor' stuff. Just a promise to love each other forever."

"Yeah." Andros nodded, smiling. "And then we're supposed to tell each other what made us love one another."

"Well..." Ashley paused just long enough for an impish grin to take shape across her face. "You were a really cute lizard."

"**Not** like that," Andros said emphatically, flushing red as she laughed.

"I know," she assured him. "Are you ready?"

Andros nodded, swallowing the last bite of his food before standing. Ashley wrapped her arms around his waist. Andros smiled, kissing her lips lightly. He had only three inches on her, and in her heels, their faces were nearly even. She smiled and leaned in, lengthening the duration of the next kiss, but she pulled back a moment later, realizing that getting carried away in a public place would be very hard to live down in a community where the popluation was under two hundred.

Andros guided her out to the car. Hovercar, she corrected herself, laughing silently. The vehicle looked nearly identical to those back on Earth, and except for the fact that the Karovan model came with the advantage of flight, they were practically the same thing.

The restaurant was a only a few minutes drive from their home and they passed the time in silence. Ashley watched Andros out of the corner of her eye, knowing that she'd been lucky enough to find her soulmate and at the age of seventeen, too. There was no doubt in her mind that Andros wasn't her one true love, an she knew that no matter what happened, he would always be there, always loving her.

"Thank you again for dinner," Ashley murmured, resting her head on his shoulder as they strolled slowly up the walk to the front door. He smiled softly and squeezed her hand, staring at her out of the corner of his eye, wondering if she had any idea how stunning she appeared to him right at that moment.

The pale yellow dress flaunted Ashley's near-perfect figure, clinging to her upper body and just barely reaching her knees. It was practically strapless, the few threads that somehow supported the weight of the fabric too thin to be true spaghetti straps. The Karovan sun had lightened her hair from a medium brown to a dark blond, and she had let the golden strands tumble freely down her back in soft waves.

Ashley smiled to herself as she caught Andros's eye. He looked down quickly and she smothered her laughter, realizing that she was doing a much better job watching him than he her.

Andros always appeared faintly uncomfortable in any sort of formal attire, she supposed the result of spending two years on end in his ranger uniform, but he'd allowed himself to relax tonight, and she wondered if he had any idea how **good** he looked.

His hair was loose for once, only adding to his relaxed appearance. Deep, dark reds suited him almost better than the bright red of his ranger uniform, and the one he had chosen tonight was absolutely perfect. She could faintly make out the definition of his muscles beneath the fabric and sighed quietly, wondering when she had started wanting him again.

The answer was surprisingly simple; she had never stopped.

_But we weren't ready..._

_And that was six months ago,_ she remembered. She sighed again, saying a distracted goodnight to Zhane and Karone, thanking them for baby-sitting, but all the while wondering what would happen if...

She sighed. If nothing else, she simply wanted to fall asleep in the warmth of his arms once again. It had been a wise decision for them to keep separate bedrooms, as it had kept them from going too far too soon, but she couldn't help the feeling that he was much further away from her than he should be, even if he was just across the hall.

"Good night," Andros whispered as they reached Ashley's room, following her inside, but keeping near the doorway. She kicked off her heels and sighed quietly with relief as her feet readjusted themselves to the sensation of distributing her weight evenly.

Andros laughed softly, reaching out to brush some stray wisps of hair back from her face, tucking them behind her ear. She mimicked his gesture without knowing she did so, her hand resting on top of his as they lost themselves in each other's eyes.

Andros caught her lips in a soft kiss and extremely reluctantly turned to go, suprised when Ashley caught his hand and pulled him back to her, throwing her arms around his neck. Startled to see tears in her eyes, Andros wrapped his arms around her, holding her close. "What's wrong, Ash?"

"Nothing," she whispered, inhaling deeply as she kept her head buried in his shoulder, breathing in his familiar scent. "For the first time in a long time, everything's perfect."

Andros smiled and kissed the top of her head. "You make everything perfect, Ash."

"I love you," she whispered. "I can't believe that I'm marrying you."

"I love you, Ash." Andros spoke softly, tracing the outline of her collarbone with his thumbs. Ashley raised her hands to cover his as she tilted her head up, her lips meeting his. He kissed her gently and then slid his hands behind her head, running his fingers through her silky sheen of hair before crushing his mouth to hers.

It took a greater force of will than Andros would have liked to admit for him to pull his mouth away from Ashley's. They stared into each other's eyes for a long moment as Andros tried to form words in his mind.

"Ash," he muttered softly, finally recovering his voice. "I should go."

"No," Ashley whispered suddenly, her arms locking firmly around his neck. "I want you to stay."

"You do?" His heart was pounding furiously, and it was all he could do to keep himself from grabbing her right then and there. "Ashley..."

"Andros, we're getting** married **in a month," Ashley reminded him, her mouth quirking up into an amused smile. "If I wasn't ready for this, that date would be a lot farther off."

Andros's face relaxed into a grin and he cupped her face in his hands, his thumbs lightly cherishing her cheeks. He knew that Ashley wasn't lying to him; she was as ready as he was to let their relationship move forward. One look in her eyes told him as much... but it also told him that ready or not, she was still haunted by lingering fear.

"I won't hurt you," he whispered, leaning forward to breathe his words directly into her ear as his fingers caressed her bare shoulders. Ashley sidled closer to him, relaxing almost completely at his words, wondering how he could read her so easily.

"I know you won't," she murmured into his ear, her breath warm on his skin. "Andros..."

It didn't take any more persuasion than that for Andros to wrap both his arms firmly around Ashley's waist and bring his lips down to claim hers. He kissed her hungrily, trying to hold back and let her be the one to set the pace but finding it impossible. In the end, Andros surrendered completely to the emotions he once thought he didn't possess, promising himself only that he would be as gentle with her as he knew how to be.

Ashley's fingers fumbled with the buttons on his shirt, unbuttoning it without once letting his mouth leave hers. A moment later, she was running her hands over his bare chest, lightly tracing his toned muscles as she felt him shudder at her touch. Andros pulled her deeper into his embrace, simultaneously taking a step forward, the result being that their bodies were pressed closer than Ashley would ever have thought possible.

Andros slid his thumbs under the thin spaghetti straps that somehow managed to support the weight of Ashley's soft yellow dress. At his touch, Ashley's heart started pounding furiously, causing her to tighten her grip on his neck half without meaning to.

She started giggling as he lifted her up into his arms and wrapped her legs around his waist, letting him carry her the few steps to her bed. Andros grinned at her as he set her down again, letting her settle herself in a semi-sitting position before he joined her, straddling her lap as his lips found hers yet again.

Ashley found herself relaxing even as Andros's kisses became more and more demanding. _It's his eyes,_ she thought distantly, the world beginning to slip away as she returned his kisses with more passion than she'd ever thought it was possible to feel towards one single person. There were dozens of emotions flowing freely through Andros's hazel eyes, but the one that remained the same was the look of absolute, utter adoration and love that caused her to feel completely and totally safe, secure, and cherished.

A soft moan escaped her lips as Andros slowly ran his hands over her body. Her dress was still on, but the fabric was so thin that it might as well not have been. She squirmed to be closer to him, looking at him in surprise when he pulled back suddenly.

Reaching behind her, he slowly pushed the pillows down until they were flat on the bed, gently easing Ashley down onto her back. As he did so, she felt her eyes widen as she truly realized for the first time what they were about to do.

"Ash?"

His mind and several parts of his body protested loudly when he drew back, but his heart refused to let him move any further while Ashley's eyes were wide and locked onto his as she lay nearly frozen beneath him.

"I'm all right," she whispered, reaching up to touch his face, her fingers lightly tracing the outline of his cheekbones. "I love you."

"I love you too, Ash," he whispered back as he slid his hands between her shoulder blades, tugging gently on the zipper that held her dress on. Ashley lifted her upper body up off the bed to make it easier for him as she began fiddling with his belt. A moment later, their clothing lay discarded on the floor and Andros was laying lightly above Ashley.

Their hands began eagerly roaming each other's bodies, wandering to places explored only brieftly on their engagement night. The caresses were gentle at first, but their kisses grew steadily more heated, and it wasn't long before Andros slowly entered her. Ashley gasped softly as he pushed into her, her hands balling themselves into fists as her entire body stiffened.

"Ash," Andros whispered hoarsely, holding himself perfectly still. Ashley's eyes were shut tight, but his voice prompted her to let them flutter open. All signs of discomfort slowly faded from her face as she stared up into his eyes, a disbelieving smile taking the place of any and all doubts she might have had left. Her arms moved seemingly of their own volition to wrap themselves around him, gently caressing his back as his mouth caressed her face and neck.

At that moment, there was nothing in the world but them and their love, but as lost in him as she was, some small part of Ashley refused to surrender to Andros as completely as he had surrendered to her, and instead remained tense, waiting, unwilling to let go and believe that there would be no pain and no horror.

Andros slowly moved within her, giving her more than enough time to adjust to the sensation before he began to put more force into his thrusts. Dimly, it dawned on Ashley that he was battling every instinct in his body as he struggled to be gentle with her. As this realization hit her, whatever it was that had held her back before vanished, releasing her from the invisible hold the nightmares of her past still held her in.

Ashley rocked her hips into him and slowly began to move along with him as Andros groaned, never wanting this to end but knowing that he couldn't last much longer. A moment later, Ashley cried out in ecstasy, her back arching as Andros exploded inside of her.

Andros collapsed next to her on the bed, panting heavily. Wordlessly, he reached out for her, pulling her into his warm embrace as their breathing evened out. Ashley rested her head on his chest, closing her eyes to savor the moment, simply letting the feeling of complete bliss overwhelm her as Andros held her close. She felt his breathing gradually shift from desperate gasps for air to the deep, even breathing of those fast asleep and despite her exhiliration, Ashley felt herself growing drowsy as well. She snuggled closer to him, her last thought before she fell asleep that they would last forever.


	32. Chapter 32

**Disclaimer:** Not mine. Disney's.

_**Chylea3784:** Thanks. I loved writing that last scene, but I think I'll stick to A/A romance. _

_**Ashley Hammond/Astro Yellow:** I'm getting there! Wait a day or two. :P _

_**Jenny:** Right. AGAIN! I WILL write something that you do not figure out. It'd probably help if I didn't tell other people what I was going to do... Anyway... I like the author hall of fame thing. :P_

_**Melissa:** Oops. That's what, the third mistake you've caught in two days:P _

Chapter 32

"Mommy! Wake up! Mommy! Daddy!"

Ashley was jolted back into wakefulness as someone slammed into her hard from the side. Gasping, she bolted upright in bed, grabbing Tawny as she continued to jump on her, her small fists beating gently at Ashley's shoulder.

"Tawny, what..."

Her voice died abruptly as the night before hit her hard. Her eyes flicked to the side, and she laughed softly as she saw Andros still fast asleep beside her, his blond-streaked hair strewn across his face. From the shoulder down, he was buried under the blankets - which was far more than Ashley could say for herself, as the sheets had tumbled down to her waist when she'd sat up.

"Mommy, why aren't you wearing anything?"

"I, umm..." Ashley blushed bright red and drew her knees up to her chest, wrapping the ends of the sheet around herself. "I'll explain later?"

"Okay," Tawny agreed readily. "I'm hungry."

"I'll get you something to eat in a minute," Ashley promised. "Just, uh, can you let me get dressed?"

"Breakfast first?" Tawny asked innocently. "Get dressed later?"

"No," Ashley said firmly, shaking her head to emphasize the point. "Go downstairs and watch TV or something."

Tawny looked about to protest, but to her mother's enormous relief, she skipped out of the room. After a moment's thought, Ashley called after her to close the door, climbing out of bed and locking it securely as a muffled chuckle reached her ear.

She shot a sharp glance at the bed. Andros hadn't moved an inch, but his lips were twitching into a smile that he wasn't able to hide.

"You were awake!" she accused him.

His eyes opened then and he just grinned at her. "No. Not until she jumped on you."

"That's not funny!"

Andros sat up and shrugged at her, still smiling broadly. "Just be glad that she sleeps through the night... You know, we should really lock the door."

Ashley couldn't help laughing a little at that. "And why couldn't you have thought of that last night?"

"I was thinking of other things last night," he retorted, his voice losing its light tone as his gaze lingered on her. "Ash... you're beautiful."

Ashley blushed as he continued to stare openly at her, seemingly unaware that he was doing so. Settling herself on the edge of the bed, she wrapped the sheets loosely around herself, suddenly self-conscious. His smile faded slightly as she stared down at her hands.

"Ash?" His fingers grasped her chin gently, raising her face to his. "What's wrong?"

She hesitated, simply unable to tell him the truth. "Nothing."

He raised an eyebrow at her, but the sudden pounding of two small fists on the opposite side of the door robbed him of the opportunity to comment.

"Mommy!" Tawny whined. "I'm hungry!"

"Just a minute," Ashley shouted, glancing anxiously at Andros out of the corner of her eye, but making no move to get out of bed.

"I'll take care of her," he offered, not waiting for a reply before climbing over her and pulling on his pants. "We'll talk later."

"Thanks," she muttered, looking anywhere but at him. Andros stared at her for a moment and sighed again before opening the door and stepping outside before Tawny could run past him into the room.

"Come on," he said, catching her by the hand as he closed the door firmly behind him. "Let's get you something to eat."

"Now?"

"Yes, now," Andros said, laughing.

"Where Mommy at?" Tawny demanded suddenly, glaring at the bedroom door reproachfully. "She say she get me breakfast."

"She's getting dressed," Andros told her, glancing back at the door himself. "She'll be down in a little while."

"If she weared pajamas, she not have to get dressed," Tawny pointed out.

Successfully muffling his laughter, Andros gave her arm a gentle tug to get her walking downstairs. "Tawny? Can you try to remember to knock before you walk into our room?"

"I knock," Tawny informed him. "But you and Mommy sleeping. I wake Mommy up."

Andros tried to bite back his grin and failed. "You sure did," he agreed, pausing in the kitchen doorway before heading to the Synthetron. "But I think you nearly gave her a heart attack."

"What a heart attack?"

"Never mind," he said. "Just don't jump on Mommy anymore, okay?"

"Okay," she agreed cheerfully, her brown eyes glinting with mischief.

Andros eyed her suspiciously for a moment adding quickly, "Don't jump on me, either!"

Tawny pouted at him. "Can I get waffles?"

"Sure," Andros agreed, lifting her up into the air to make her level with the Synthetron. "Push this button here..."

Tawny exclaimed happily as the Synthetron made its quiet whirring sound, producing a child's portion of scrumptious waffles topped with strawberries and a small mountain of whipped cream.

"Try not to make a mess," Andros pleaded as he carried Tawny's breakfast to the kitchen table, decidedly ignoring her protests to let her do so himself, all too aware of the clean up that mistake would entail.

"I not make a mess," Tawny promised. "I like waffles."

Andros laughed before turning back to the Synthetron for his own breakfast. Tawny eyed his food distastefully, wrinkling her nose.

"Pancakes yucky," she informed him.

"They're the same thing as waffles."

"They yucky."

Andros shook his head, making a show of his first bite. "I like them."

"You like yucky food."

Andros bit his lip, sorely tempted to let Tawny drag him into the argument. Reminding himself that she would be his daughter in five weeks, he shook his head another time and said nothing, knowing that she would forget in a moment.

"Mommy!"

Temporarily abandoning her breakfast, Tawny leapt up from the table, rushing to fasten her arms around Ashley's knees. Andros smiled and followed Tawny's race with his eyes, wondering just how she could have so much energy packed into her small body.

His eyes widened as they landed on Ashley, or more specifically, on her outfit. He had never once seen her without even the smallest trace of the color yellow in her clothing. To see her so now, after nearly two years, was more than a little unnerving... although he had to admit that she was absolutely stunning in her color of choice.

She smiled shyly at him as he continued to gaze at her, the affection in his hazel eyes causing the initial unease brought on by his unblinking stare to dwindle down to practically nothing.

"You look pretty in red," Andros said finally.

His shoulders being considerably broader than hers, the shirt hung loosely on her, reaching to the middle of her thighs, and the sleeves were just about even with her fingertips. There was nothing particularly glamarous about the rest of her outfit either; she was wearing a pair of jeans, the red shirt was worn unbuttoned over a white tank top, her feet were bare, and her freshly washed hair was pulled back from her face, but Andros was struck with the thought that she had never appeared more beautiful to him than she did at this moment.

Ashley glanced down a moment later, and his eyes narrowed at her for several seconds. Whatever had been bothering her earlier was clearly still on her mind, and he sighed.

"Finish eating, Tawny, all right?" he said, never taking his eyes off of Ashley. "I want to talk to your mommy."

"I'm fine," she insisted as he guided her into the living room, not giving him the chance to question her. "Really, Andros."

The look he gave her communicated to her quite clearly that she was going to have to do much better than that to convince him that she was fine. She sighed heavily, staring off into space not only because she didn't wish to speak to him, but because she wasn't entirely sure what was wrong herself.

"Ash?"

She jumped visibly as Andros laid a gentle hand on her arm. "I'm all right," she said quietly, her eyes silently pleading with him to just let her be, but he didn't move an inch from his spot.

"Is it me?" he asked softly, staring up into her eyes as he crouched down by the side of the couch on which she sat. "Did I... did I hurt you last night?"

Ashley shook her head slowly, but the brief second of hesitation before she did so caused him to wonder.

"You're sure?" He gazed deep into her eyes for a moment before glancing down and muttering, "I mean, I don't... I don't exactly know how to be... gentle..."

"You didn't hurt me, Andros."

Her voice was little more than a whisper, but it was a firm enough whisper to banish his lingering doubts... but that still left him with a slight problem.

"So why are you hiding?"

"I'm not - " Ashley began to protest, and then sighed, admitting, "I don't know... I guess I'm... When you look at me, what do you see?"

"Ash..." Andros stared at her in confusion and just the tiniest bit of hurt. It was well hidden, but she didn't miss it, and it tore at her heart to see it.

"I see you," he said finally. "Nothing else. Just you, Ash."

Ashley relaxed visibly, a bright, sunny smile lighting her face. "Andros... do you... feel different? Like... closer to me, somehow?"

He closed his eyes for a moment, concentrating on the link that had been between himself and Ashley nearly from the moment he'd first set eyes on her. To his surprise, it **did** feel different, stronger somehow, almost as if she was a part of himself.

Andros smiled. "Yeah. I feel it."

"I love you," Ashley whispered, leaning forward to slip her arms around his neck. He returned the hug eagerly, kissing her gently, holding her just close enough for her balance to become unsteady and she came tumbling down into his lap.

She gave him a half-hearted glare but giggled and nuzzled close to him, not about to get up for anything. Andros grinned down into her hair, wondering what he had ever done to deserve her.

"You love me," Ashley said simply, laughing quietly at his startled expression. "That's all I've ever wanted."

"I'm going to spend the rest of my life loving you," he vowed, knowing that he would never be able to live without her ever again.

"Only five more weeks." Ashley smiled and buried her face in his chest, knowing their wedding day couldn't come soon enough.


	33. Chapter 33

**Disclaimer:** The lyrics used in this chapter were written specifically for this story... but the Power Rangers still aren't mine. Sadly, they never will be.

_**Ashley Hammond/Astro Yellow:** They can't get married on the spot, the rest of my story won't make sense otherwise. :P _

_**Jenny:** No, you won't have to wait five more weeks for any part of this story. :P I'm reminding you! _

**Author's Note:** The song 'Saving Angel' was written by Marieke (AH/AY). (Thanks!)

Chapter 33

Ashley groaned and rushed into the bathroom, collapsing beside the toilet just as her stomach decided to empty itself. Miserably, she remained down on her knees for several minutes, wondering how she could be throwing up for so long when she had been to nervous to eat more than a mouthful in the last three days.

"You all right?"

"Yeah," she said faintly, glancing up to see Cassie standing over her, already fully dressed. "I'm fine. Just nerves."

"You'd better be fine," Cassie told her sternly. "I mean, here I am, all dressed up and gorgeous, and then you ruin it all by getting sick in the middle of the ceremony."

Ashley gave her friend a wan smile. "I thought it was **my** wedding."

"Details." Cassie made a face at her before shifting into a more serious mode. "Are your nerves done yet? We've got to get you all dressed up and gorgeous too."

"I'm done," Ashley assured her, standing and moving to the sink. Turning the knob for cold water, she rinsed her mouth out thoroughly half a dozen times, splashing some cold water across her face.

Cassie nodded, satisfied. "Now get in here!"

Laughing nervously, Ashley did as she was told, settling herself cross-legged on her bed as Cassie dug frantically through the collection of makeup that littered the dresser.

"What's taking so long?" Ashley demanded anxiously. "You didn't lose something, did you?"

"No, of course not," Cassie said hastily. "I'm just trying to... here! No, that's Karone's color, not yours... this one."

"Where is Karone, by the way?"

"Uh... I think she said something about flowers," Cassie said. "You know, your bouquet... Close your eyes, Ash."

Ashley shut her eyes obediantly, and Cassie set to work covering the few blemishes in Ashley's nearly flawless skin, rolling her eyes as Ashley fidgeted almost constantly.

Cassie laughed. "Ash, you've got nothing to be nervous about."

"Nothing to be nervous about?" she repeated indignantly. "I'm getting **married!**"

"To a man who practically worships you." Cassie paused for a moment, searching for the eyeshadow. "Ash, how much is today really going to change?"

"Everything!" Ashley cried. "This is our wedding!"

"Not what I meant," Cassie said. "Look, haven't you been living with him for seven months?"

"Well... sort of," Ashley admitted. "But we weren't sleeping together..."

"Until last month."

Ashley's eyes flew open. "I didn't tell you that!"

"No," Cassie replied, clearly amused. "But from the way you and Andros stare at each other, you might as well have... Ash, **Tawny** can sit still longer than you can."

Ashley cracked one eye open. "You put makeup on my three-year-old daughter?"

"Just a little lip gloss," Cassie assured her. "But she held still."

"I'm back!" Karone's voice announced. "Got the bouquet."

"Ashley!" Cassie exclaimed, finding herself dangerously close to putting her best friend's eye out with an eyeliner pencil.

"Sorry," Ashley said sheepishly, twisting around to face Cassie again. "I just wanted to see the bouquet... I'll keep my eyes shut."

"No," Cassie said, rolling her eyes. "I'm done now."

"So let's get you into that dress," Karone said with a grin.

Ashley's eyes lit up. Stripping off her pajamas, she tossed them into a corner of the room as Cassie and Karone freed the dress from it's protective plastic covering. They lowered the dress over her head slowly, careful not to let the white fabric come into contact with her beautifully made up face.

"Wow," Cassie breathed quietly. "You look gorgeous, Ash."

Karone nodded her agreement, passing Ashley her low heels and belt. Ashley slipped on the shoes and tied the belt at her waist, smiling nervously into the full length mirror propped up against the wall as she examined her reflection.

Though it had taken her almost until the wedding day to find, Ashley was absolutely in love with the dress she had selected. The pure white fabric was soft and just the tiniest bit fluffy. The sleeveless dress fell to only a half inch or so above the ground, showing off as much of her figure as it was supposed to hide. The V-cut neck and back were a bit too low for her to feel completely comfortable the first times she'd tried it on, but Ashley had to admit that the dress looked fabulous on her. Crimson and gold ribbon had been twined together to form the belt Ashley wore at her waist, the loose ends of ribbon trailing down along her side.

"I'm getting married," she murmured aloud, laughing nervously. "I'm getting married today."

"A little slow, are we?" Karone teased her. "Come on, sit, we need to finish your hair."

Careful not to rumple her dress, Ashley sat down on her bed once again, closing her eyes as Cassie and Karone brushed and combed through her hair, trying desperately to remain calm.

As if simply marrying Andros wasn't nerve-wracking enough, the wedding had ended up being held in KO-35's meeting hall with the entire planet invited to attend. Ashley had originally been leaning towards a small wedding, and she suspected Andros had as well, but when they had actually thought it out, they had realized that everyone who they would have invited was already a member of the wedding party.

Cassie and Karone were Ashley's bridesmaids. TJ, Carlos, and Zhane were the best men. Tawny was the flower girl and Jeff was walking Ashley down the aisle. According to Karovan law, only the elected leader of the colony, the current one being Kin Won, could perform legal marriage ceremonies, so he would be officiating.

The general public adored Andros, and though their open regard made him extremely uncomfortable at times, they were still his people. It had been his idea to make the wedding a public one, pointing out that they were unlikely to escape notice anyway.

"Ash, we're done," Cassie announced, disrupting her thoughts. "And we're right on time, too."

Karone pressed the bouquet of red and yellow roses into her hand before propelling her downstairs where Jeff was lounging around as best he could in his tux, keeping one eye on Tawny to be sure that she didn't destroy her dress completely.

"Wow," he said, grinning up at his sister as she slowly descended the stairs. "You look beautiful, Ash."

"Mommy!" Tawny rushed up to her, staring at her in awe. "Pretty dress."

"Thank you, sweetie," she said, her free hand catching Tawny's chubby arm. "Come on, we've got to go."

"Where are we going?" Tawny demanded. "Uncle Jeff say lots of people waitiing."

"That's right," Ashley said, her stomach churning again. "Lots of people."

"Worry about that when we get there," Cassie ordered brusquely, propelling her out the door. "Let's go."

"I'm driving," Karone said firmly, shoving Ashley over towards the passenger seat of the hovercar. "You can't drive to your own wedding."

"Thanks," she whispered thickly, her throat beginning to close up.

_Breathe,_ she reminded herself as the car shifted into motion. _Just breathe... _

"Mommy?"

"Huh?" Ashley jerked around to face Tawny, who was straining to reach her from the backseat. "We're almost there, Tawny."

"Where my flowers?" Tawny demanded. "I wanna throw them!"

Karone laughed. "I've got them," she assured her. "But we'll keep them safe for you until we get there, all right?"

"And you don't **throw** them," Ashley remembered to add. "Just kind of sprinkle them on the ground, all right?"

Tawny pouted. "All right... but throwing them fun!"

"No throwing," Jeff told her firmly, saving Ashley the trouble of answering. "Your mommy and daddy want everything to be perfect today, all right?"

"All right," Tawny agreed, crestfallen.

"We're here," Karone announced.

"Why do you guys bother driving?" Jeff wondered aloud. "Everything's five minutes away."

"I am **not** walking to my own wedding," Ashley informed him, exhaling shakily as she eyed the doors in front of her.

"Come on, you guys," Cassie said, tugging on Ashley's arm. "Let's go."

"Wait here," Karone said. "I'm supposed to let them know that they can start the music."

"Breathe, Ash," Cassie reminded her.

Ashley made a face, but smiled shakily. "Thanks."

Cassie smiled and nodded, knowing what she'd meant.

"Okay," Karone said, rejoining them. "We've got about a minute... everyone ready?"

"Yeah," Ashley said distantly. "I'm ready."

"You'll be fine," Jeff assured her, slipping his arm through hers.

"Tawny, you come up here with us," Cassie said, pulling the little girl into place.

Music began to play and Ashley nearly fainted. Jeff nudged her, giving her an encouraging smile. She tried hard to return the gesture, finding it nearly as impossible as forcing her feet into motion.

Somehow she managed both, and she slowly made her way down the aisle, clinging to her brother's arm as she became terrifyingly aware of the number of eyes all fixed on her. The aisle was really a short one, but seemed to stretch on forever, with Andros just a little speck in the distance.

Then suddenly she standing directly in front of him and Jeff was placing her hand in his. Ashley met her brother's eye as he took a seat in the front row, pulling Tawny into his lap, thanking him silently. He nodded to her with a grin.

"We have come together to witness a union between two of our greatest heroes," Kin Won stated, his voice echoing through the hall. "We will begin with the blessings."

"Ashley," Zhane began, his serious tone a surprising contrast to his laughing blue eyes and wicked grin. "I wasn't around much during your time as a ranger, but it only took a minute to realize that your cheerfulness and determination kept the team alive whenever things were looking bad. But what was most obvious was the effect you had on Andros. Whenever you were around, he actually smiled. He laughed and did things other normal people did, just because you made him happy."

Zhane's face suddenly grew somber. "I know there are some things you'd much rather not think about on your wedding day," he said quietly. "But I just have to say that somehow you found the strength to laugh and smile even while your life was dark and almost hopeless. Somehow you found the courage to trust Andros with your heart and soul, and at some point, he found the courage to trust you with his. He might have come to love you slowly, but he loves you deeply, and the fact that you return that love is proof enough for everyone here that the two of you will be all right always."

He grinned at them both before taking a step back to rejoin TJ and Carlos. Ashley caught his eye, mouthing "Thank you." His grin took on a distinctly smug look and she shook her head, turning her attention to Cassie, who had just stepped forward to face Andros.

"Andros," she said, her voice, though quiet, carrying through the room with ease. "You've changed more than words can describe in the last two years, and I don't doubt Ashley is responsible for most of that. She was there for you whenever you needed her, and when she needed you, you didn't hesitate to support her the way she had always done for you. You spent every moment at her side, holding her hand, promising her that no matter what happened, you were always going to love her.

"I know that those words are true and that there is absolutely nothing that you wouldn't do just to make her happy. I know that when you look at Ashley, you see only the woman that you love and when you look at Tawny, you see only your daughter. But most of all, I know that the two of you will be forever because you have become too much a part of each other for it to be otherwise. I wish the two of you all the luck in the world and all the love."

"Andros," Kin Won said. "It is your turn."

Andros nodded briefly to acknowledge the statement. His eyes met Ashley's and his heart began thudding furiously. He swallowed hard, wondering why it was suddenly so hard to say the words that he had said so many times before.

"Ashley," he began haltingly. "I am alive today because of you. I'd spent half my life wishing for death, but the moment I saw you, I wanted to live. I wanted to remember what it meant to laugh and smile and to just let go, but more than anything else, I wanted to remember what it meant to love.

"I'd forgotten what love was," he admitted. "I'd made myself forget. It hurt too much to lose people, but then you were there, and all I knew was that it hurt even more to be apart from you.

"We wouldn't be here today if it wasn't for you," he told her quietly, beginning to wrap up his short speech. "You made me relearn what it meant to live, and more importantly, to love, and for that, you'll always have mine."

Zhane stepped forward again, pressing a slender gold band into Andros's hand. Andros clenched his fist around it for an instant, giving Ashley a nervous grin. Carefully, he slid the ring over the fourth finger of her left hand, clasping her hand lightly before stepping back just a bit.

Kin Won nodded to Ashley wordlessly. She gulped, forcing herself to meet Andros's loving hazel eyes, although one glimpse of them threatened to break her down into uncontrollable tears. She reached for his hands instinctively, threading their fingers together as she took a deep breath.

"Andros, love doesn't even begin to describe how I feel about you," Ashley said quietly, blinking furiously to dam the tears threatening to run down her face. "The scariest moment of my life was when I had to tell you that I'd been lying to you the whole time we'd known each other. I was so sure that I was going to lose you then, but somehow I didn't. Somehow you loved me enough to see past all of that to me, and for that, I will never be able to thank you enough."

She drew a shaky breath, breaking his gaze for the first time since he had begun speaking, her eyes landing on Jeff. Andros followed her gaze, glancing at Ashley in confusion when he saw that her brother was situated behind a piano.

She knew she had to be gripping his hands painfully, but Andros didn't say a word. His eyes never left hers, the love she found in them soothing her nerves. Slowly, she nodded to Jeff, her hands still in Andros's as she began to sing.

_Take me to a place that knows of no fear_

_Take me in your arms and make everything disappear_

_Save my soul from dying_

_I've been scarred far deeper than the eyes meet_

_It's been buried so no one would see_

_But you seemed to look right through me_

_Now take my hands_

_Kiss my fears away_

_For with you I feel safe_

_Throughout the night and day_

_The wounds, they burned, I could no longer pretend_

_When I bared my scars, you did not leave_

_You made me relearn how to believe_

_You fought to remain at my side_

_Refused to allow me to hide_

_You showed me how to live again_

_Now take my hands_

_Kiss my fears away_

_For with you I feel safe_

_Throughout the night and day_

_You helped me fight my demons of the past_

_It could no be done without shedding tears_

_But you helped me overcome my fears_

_To you I owe the life I lead_

_You and your silent plea_

_You stood by me_

_Now take my hands_

_Kiss my fears away_

_For with you I feel safe_

_Throughout the night and day_

_My love for you will never die_

_You, light in my darkened life_

_You, my saving Angel_

_Now take my hands_

_Kiss my fears away_

_For with you I feel safe_

_Throughout the night and day_

"When I wrote this, it was more a prayer than anything else," she told him, her voice trembling. "It felt like I was all alone in the dark and I thought that I always would be, but because of you, I'm not. You saved me."

Ashley paused abruptly, closing her eyes in a futile effort to suppress her emotions. A few tears fell and it was all she could do to force back the rest of them. Swallowing hard, she attempted to steady her voice, determined to make it through the few sentences that she had left.

"It's because of you that I'm free," she choked out, releasing one of his hands to take the ring Cassie passed to her. "I'll love you always, Andros."

"I'll love you always." He echoed her words quietly, a few tears shining in his own eyes as she slipped the ring onto the fourth finger of his left hand.

Kin Won stepped forward then, pausing a moment before speaking. "Under Karovan law, you are married. However, on Earth, it is tradition to end the ceremony with a kiss."

He nodded to Andros, who grinned. His arms curving around Ashley's waist in a grip that swore he would never let her go, Andros drew her to him, gazing down into her sparkling eyes for a moment before lowering his lips to hers for the sweetest of kisses.


	34. Chapter 34

**Disclaimer:** Sadly, I own nothing.

_**Ashley Hammond/Astro Yellow:** I added your name to the A/N. :P Yeah, Ashley and her nerves... :P _

_**Melissa:** There's four more chapter, actually. :P _

_**Chylea3784:** Thanks. I really loved writing that. _

_**C.C.C:** I love the song too. AH/AY really did a good job. :P_

_**Mz. Daydream:** Four more chapters and then the end, but I'll have a new story up as soon as I finish this and Different Defenders, probably this weekend, I promise. :P _

Chapter 34

Andros opened his eyes the morning after his wedding to find himself alone in bed. A bit disappointed, he rolled over, intending to close his eyes for another few minutes of sleep. However, the sounds he heard coming from the bathroom had him wide awake at once.

"Ash?" he asked in quietly, kneeling down beside his wife of less than twenty-four hours. Ashley was crouched down alongside the toilet, her hands gripping the toilet bowl hard enough to turn her knuckles white.

Andros watched in concern as she continued to hurl, her body entire body heaving violently. Inching closer to her, he carefully pulled her hair back from her face. His hands brushed against the back of her neck, and he was alarmed to find the cold sweat that had broken out over her entire body.

"Are you all right?" he asked gently when she finally stopped.

Ashley shrugged miserably. "I don't know."

"Here," he said, slipping his hand into hers, pulling her to her feet. Ashley stumbled, nearly collapsing into him. He frowned, steadying her with his hands as she swayed. Filling a cup with water, he handed it to her, letting her rinse out her mouth several times before nudging her towards the door.

"Lie down," he ordered her gently but firmly. Ashley didn't need telling twice and practically fell into the bed, closing her eyes as Andros drew the blankets up over her. She felt Andros crawl into bed beside her and smiled faintly as he wrapped one arm around her, his free hand stroking her hair absently.

"What's wrong?"

"I don't know," Ashley admitted. "Yesterday I thought it was just nerves."

"Yesterday?" Andros repeated, frowning. "You were sick yesterday?"

"I don't think so," Ashley muttered, shaking her head without opening her eyes. "It went away after a few minutes. I think I was just nervous then."

"Maybe you should go to the doctor," Andros suggested, kissing her forehead lightly.

"I'm fine," Ashley insisted. "It was probably just something I ate."

Andros looked at her skeptically but shrugged. "Try to get some more sleep, then," he advised her.

"Where are you going?" she demanded, her eyes finally opening as the warmth of Andros's body left hers.

"Tawny's going to be awake in about five minutes," he told her with a grin, digging through his drawers for a clean pair of jeans. "And the first thing she'll do is come to wake up her mommy."

Ashley sighed. She didn't really want to be used as a trampoline this morning. "Thank you," she mumbled, yawning.

Andros laughed softly, bending down to brush his lips gently over hers. "Get some rest, Ash," he told her quietly, smoothing her hair back from her face. Ashley smiled against his fingers as they brushed against her lips, slipping back into the warm darkness of sleep all too eagerly.

Ashley had no idea for how long her eyes were closed, but when they opened again, all traces of her earlier nausea were gone. Smiling happily, she bounded out of bed and into the bathroom, showering and dressing quickly going off in search of Andros to let him know that she wouldn't be spending their first day as a married couple sick in bed.

She found him seated on the living room couch, staring off into space. She startled him out of his daze as she rushed over to him, plopping herself down into his lap.

Andros laughed, not wasting a second in wrapping his arms around her. "I take it you feel better?"

"Yeah," she said, nuzzling her face into his chest. "Whatever it was, I guess I slept it off... Where's Tawny?"

"Zhane and Karone came over about ten minutes ago," he told her, grinning. "They thought we'd, um, they thought we'd enjoy some time alone."

"So we've got the whole day to ourselves?"

"Until dinner," Andros confirmed, leaning down to plant several soft kisses at the base of her neck.

"I think we can keep ourselves busy until then," Ashley teased lightly, her skin tingling in the wake of his trailing kisses as he shifted to catch her lips between his own.

To her surprise, Andros pulled back abruptly and simply stared down at her for several minutes, saying nothing, just losing himself in her eyes. Slowly, one hand reached up to rest on her face, his feather light touch tracing the outlines of her cheekbones and jaw before coming to rest lightly over her eyelashes. Her eyelids fluttered open and closed at his touch and he pulled back a moment later, still gazing at her, almost in disbelief.

"You're beautiful," he told her softly, sincerely, and half in awe. "Not just here..." He stroked her cheek gently for a moment and then gestured at the rest of her face, before letting his hand rest above her heart. "...but here too."

The sentiment was nothing new; in fact, Ashley was certain that she'd heard those same words out of Andros's mouth a thousand times, yet something in the way he said the words rendered her completely immoblie, able only to gaze up at him, struck by the thought that those words were the sweetest that she'd ever heard.

"Andros..." she managed finally. "What..."

He shrugged, blushing self-consciously. "You're a beautiful person, Ashley Hammond," he told her quietly, holding her gaze calmly. "I just... wanted to tell you that."

At a complete loss for words, Ashley could only beam her brilliant smile up at him as her big brown eyes sparkled in delight. Shifting slightly to face him completely, Ashley pillowed her head against the arm of the couch, tugging on Andros's arm to bring him closer. His lips had just enough time to brush against hers before her stomach rumbled loudly.

"Hungry?"

Andros pulled back and straightened, giving her enough room to crawl out of his lap. For a moment, she didn't move, her eyes locked onto those of the man she had married a day before. He was gazing back at her in complete adoration, his soft hazel eyes shining with all the love he felt for her.

"Ash?" Andros spoke softly, reaching out to stroke her cheek. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine," she assured him, snapping out of her daze. "I was just thinking... I love you."

"I love you too," he said with a grin, hooking one arm beneath her knees, standing without letting her out of his arms, knowing that if he could have kept her that close forever, he wouldn't have had a thing to complain about.

Her feet touched the ground again just outside the kitchen door and Ashley darted inside just ahead of Andros, her fingers resting on the Synthetron for a moment before she decided on some bacon and eggs. Ordering her food, she sat down at the table, waiting for Andros to join her, noticing that the bacon smelled much stronger than was normal.

Wrinkling her nose, she stared down at her plate, her appetite suddenly gone. She hadn't noticed before how sickeningly greasy everything seemed...

"Ash?" Abandoning his own breakfast, Andros caught ahold of her chin, forcing her to look at him. "What's wrong?"

Hit by another wave of nausea, Ashley ran for the bathroom, falling to her knees beside the toilet as her stomach proceeded to empty itself for the second time that morning. Once again, she felt Andros crouch down beside her, holding her hair and gently rubbing her back.

"Andros, I don't feel so good," she mumbled a moment later, falling back against him.

"I know, Ash," he whispered, stroking her hair for minute or two before easing her back to her feet. Keeping one arm around her waist, his other hand waved distractedly at the opposite wall, a small washcloth floating through the air to him.

"I really think you should go to a doctor now," he added as he carefully washed her face with the wet cloth.

Ashley shook her head. "It's probably just the flu," she said. "Once you get it, there's nothing you can do except wait it out."

"The flu?" Andros repeated.

"Loads of people get it every winter back on Earth," she explained. "You're supposed to feel horrible and throw up every five minutes or so. It's supposed to be awful."

"I know what it is," Andros said, frowning at her. "But we don't get the flu here."

Ashley sighed heavily.While there was nothing that she felt like doing more than collapsing back into her soft, warm bed, she knew Andros wasn't about to let her.

"I'll go to the doctor," she said reluctantly. "But if it's not the flu, it's probably just food poisoning."

"**Just** food poisoning?" Andros repeated skeptically. "That sounds serious, Ash."

"It is, a little," she admitted. "But I won't die from it."

"You'd better not," he cautioned her, guiding her out of the bathroom into the hall, draping her coat across her shoulders. She sighed heavily as he led her out the door, but didn't protest, knowing that he was right.

"It's not fair," Ashley complained aloud as she climbed into the car. "I'm not supposed to be sick the morning after our wedding."

"It's not fair," Andros agreed, laying a hand lightly on her arm for a moment before putting the car into reverse. "But you are sick the morning after our wedding, and there's no point in pretending that you're not."

"I know," she admitted. Her stomach growled again and she groaned. "Can we wait a few more minutes? I'm hungry."

"Ash, you were throwing up five minutes ago," he reminded her, concern now clearly evident in his face. "You probably shouldn't eat."

"But I'm hungry," she whined, knowing how childish she was acting when she knew he was worried about her, but not particularly caring. "Come on, Andros, please?"

He hesitated for a long moment, and then sighed, slowly moving back up the drive. "If you get sick one more time, we're not waiting any longer, all right?"

"Deal," she agreed, rushing back into the house, Andros following close behind. Ashley made a beeline for the Synthetron, doing her best not to glance at the now cold bacon and eggs still sitting on the table, knowing that she would end up in the bathroom a moment later.

"What **is** that?" Andros demanded, looking a little sick himself as he glanced at the plate in her hand.

"Peanut butter."

"Why is it green?"

"That's a pickle, silly," she said between bites.

The look on Andros's face made it very clear that he thought her breakfast of choice was extremely disgusting, but he didn't comment except to say, "I thought you hated peanut butter."

Ashley shrugged, her mouth too full for her to speak. Swallowing, she said, "Yeah, I do, but that's only because I used to eat it all the time, when I..."

Andros started as Ashley's face blanced snow white, her eyes growing wider than he would have thought possible. At her side an instant later, he gently pried the half-full plate from her hands, wrapping his arms around her as she swayed.

"What's wrong?" he asked, his eyes brimming with worry and concern. "Ashley!"

"Tawny," she choked out, trembling from head to toe. "When I was pregnant with Tawny."

"But..."

Andros stopped speaking abruptly, giving her arm a gentle tug to get her moving. He was trying desperately to keep her from spotting the hope suddenly shining in his eyes, but Ashley could see it clearly. She swallowed and bit down on her lip hard, knowing that the disappointment was going to crush them both.


	35. Chapter 35

**Disclaimer:** Unless it's on sale for three dollars, Power Rangers isn't mine.

_**Melissa:** Grr... another mistake. Chapter 37 is the epilogue, so it'll end there, but I've got a new story started. Yeah, I promised Marieke a brother. :P Thanks for your help finding a name. I actually chose one. :P_

**Ashley Hammond/Astro Yellow:** She just doesn't want to get her hopes up... You're Pandora's box? Now that's cool!

**Chylea3784:** You're a good guesser. The story's almost over, but there is going to be a sequel at some point, probably after my next four stories.

**Mz. Daydream:** Haha... And of course we'll never get sick of hearing how sweet Andros is.

**Jenny:** I don't hate you! But now that you mention it... how's our untitled story coming?

**C.C.C:** Thanks... and I love your guess a lot more than the reason I came up with.

**Author's Note:** I'd like to apologize for the three or four alerts you've gotten for this chapter. The short version is document manager and I had a little disagreement, and I've spent the last hour learning HTML editing.

Chapter 35

Tears slowly made their way down Ashley's cheeks as she made her way down the hall that led from the doctor's office to the reception area where Andros was waiting for her, likely not daring to breathe.

She stepped into the waiting area slowly, silently, much prefering to wait until they were in the privacy of their own home to break the news to Andros, but knew that the instant he saw her in tears he would panic. She didn't have the heart to keep him in suspense for even the ten minutes the ride home would take.

Andros leapt to his feet the moment he spotted her, his eyes widening as he took in the dazed, blank expression marking Ashley's beautiful face and the large tears rolling slowly down her cheeks.

"Ash?"

She jumped as his voice penetrated her thoughts and simply stared at him as he stopped just short of taking her into his arms. It was only when she saw his face slowly begin to fall that she realized she was still crying, and she swiped furiously at her cheeks, swallowing hard as she tried to find her voice, but her throat was to tight to allow words to escape.

"Ash?" he whispered again, desperately trying to quash the wild hope raging within him. "Ash, just tell me, please."

"I - I..." Ashley swallowed, forcing the lump in her throat away just long enough to whisper, "I'm pregnant."

"Y-you are?" Andros stared at her wide-eyed, frozen into place. "You're really pregnant?"

"Yes!" she cried, the words finally registering in her mind. She was having a baby... She was having Andros's baby... She and Andros were going to have a baby of their own...

With a shriek of joy, Ashley launched herself into his arms, feeling him stumble backward several paces as he took her weight. His arms wrapped firmly around her midsection, nearly crushing her as she continued to cry, her face buried in his neck.

"We're having a baby," she whispered into his ear, the notion of carrying his child still foreign to her. "We're going to have our own baby."

"We're having a baby," Andros repeated, squeezing her as hard as he dared. Grinning from ear to ear, he pulled back, crushing his mouth to hers for a long moment.

"Am I dreaming?" Ashley wondered aloud, feeling her heart sinking.

The doctors on Earth had been clear on that point; her body was incapable of producing any children that might have come after Tawny. More tears, these bitter, pressed against her eyelids as she recalled how difficult Tawny's birth had been. By the end of her labor, Ashley was very nearly convinced that she'd been torn apart, and being absolutely terrified and completely alone had done nothing in the way of helping matters. She'd known that something had gone wrong, but when she was told that there could be no more children...

"No," Andros said quietly, kissing her again. "This is real, Ash."

"So we're really having a baby? I'm really pregnant?"

"That's what you just told me," Andros said, laughing. "Ashley, I love you."

"I love you too, Andros," she whispered, clinging to him as hard as she could. "I love you, and we're going to have our own child."

Andros gave her one final squeeze before releasing her. "Let's go home, Ash."

Ashley agreed readily, knowing that they had been extrememly lucky so far that the waiting room had been empty, but not doubting that the news would have spread across KO-35 by morning.

"Did you want to know if it's a boy or a girl?" she asked softly as they left the building.

Andros shook his head. "Do you?"

Ashley shook her head as well. "I want everything to be a surprise."

"So far it has been," Andros said wryly, and she nodded happily in agreement.

"Do you want a boy or a girl?" she asked as she climbed into the car. Andros rested his hand over her abdomen for a moment before replying, still grinning.

"I don't care," he said, putting the car into motion. "It doesn't matter to me, Ash. But... a son might be nice, just because we've got a daughter."

Ashley hadn't thought that her smile could grow any brighter, but at hearing the way Andros referred to Tawny as his daughter, she wondered if her face might actually split in two. She knew how Andros had seen Tawny as his daughter for months now, but every time she heard him call her daughter his own, she could only love him even more.

"A son would be nice," Ashley agreed. "But wouldn't it be cute to have two girls?"

Andros smiled. "Actually, it would..."

He parked the car in their driveway, helping her out of the car as carefully as he could. Ashley laughed, somehow knowing that he was going to insist on taking care of her for the next eight months. She slipped her arm through his, knowing also that she was going to have to remind him constantly that she was neither helpless nor breakable.

They found themselves on the living room couch once again, Ashley curled up in Andros's lap. His hands slipped under her shirt to rest on her bare stomach, searching for the child that was sleeping inside her. There was barely any swell at all to her abdomen, but he was certain he felt it.

"What names do you like?"

Andros glanced at her in surprise. "Isn't it a little early for that?"

Ashley shrugged, her eyes gleaming brightly. "So? It can't hurt to have a few ready... Tell me some names!" 

Andros shrugged. "I've never really thought about it..." he said slowly. "You go first."

"Anemone."

Andros blinked several times, unsure of how to react until he felt Ashley quivering with the effort it took to hold in her giggles. When he began to laugh, she did as well, leaving both of them laughing helplessly for several minutes.

"Sorry," Ashley said, wiping her eyes, still giddy. "This is just... I never thought that I'd be able to... Andros?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you know how I got pregnant?"

The intent look in Ashley's eyes was more than enough for Andros to abandon the idea of teasing her at that moment. Instead, he sighed, shaking his head as he thought for a moment.

"The only way I can think of," he said at last, "is that the Power healed you."

"Wow," Ashley murmured. "I love the Power."

"So do I," Andros agreed softly, rubbing his thumbs gently over her skin. "I know how badly you want this baby."

Ashley nodded into his chest, her heart bursting with joy. "I want children with you, Andros, even if it's just this one baby."

"Do you still want five or six?" he asked, wondering if he shouldn't have just kept his mouth shut when Ashley's smile slipped for the first time.

"Maybe there can't be five or six," she said quietly, staring up at him seriously. "Maybe this baby will be as hard to give birth to as Tawny was."

"Then it'll be all right," Andros said firmly, moving one hand from her stomach to give her fingers a gentle squeeze. "Everything will be fine, no matter what happens."

"Even if it's just this baby?"

"Even if it's just this baby."

Ashley's smile was back, if a little smaller than it had been previously. "If there can be more..."

"As many as you're willing to have," Andros said finally, grinning faintly.

Ashley winced silghtly. "Let's see if this baby is anything like Tawny..."

"How bad was it?" he asked cautiously, not wanting to press the matter if it was one Ashley didn't wish to discuss. She'd confided nearly every dark memory of her past in him, but the subject of Tawny's birth was one that she had carefully avoided, and he had let her, knowing that if it was a memory she wanted to share with him, she would, and if it was something she'd keep rather inside forever, then she would.

"It was mostly that I was scared," she said finally. "I was so scared and so alone. No one was even at the hospital with me. And then I knew something was wrong when they called in some other doctors, but they kept telling me that I was doing fine and to just keep pushing and the baby would be there in just a little while. I knew they were lying and that scared me even more. I thought my baby was dying."

She paused, sighing heavily. "When they told me that I'd never have another baby, it wasn't that there was only going to be Tawny. It was mostly the way that Tawny had been created. If I... if I'd loved her father, I could have lived with it. She would have been my choice, and I'd have to live with the consequences of my own actions. But I hated her father, and for a long time, I almost hated her... because she was the only child I'd ever have and I didn't want her."

Ashley paused once again, glancing down at her hands, mumbling, "If you want the truth, that's the only reason I kept her."

"I'm glad you did," Andros offered softly.

"So am I," she whispered. "So glad."

Andros opened his mouth to comfort her, but she glanced up at him then and he fell silent. Her smile was small and somewhat forced, but grew steadily as she gazed up into his eyes.

"But that's over with," she said firmly, squeezing his fingers hard. "I don't have to think about that anymore. I can think about us. I can think about our... our family."

"Our family," Andros echoed, grinning broadly. "I like it."

"That's what we are," Ashley pointed out with a little laugh. "We've got each other, and Tawny, and now this baby... This is forever, Andros, I know it."

He smiled and kissed the top of his wife's head, unable to agree more. 


	36. Chapter 36

**Disclaimer:** Not mine! Not mine! Not mine! Get the picture?

_**Ashley Hammond/Astro Yellow:** Of course they have a baby! Do you really think I'd let them think they have a baby and then they end up without one? Wait... bad question. :P _

_**Chylea3784:** Thanks. My next story should be out the same day as the epilogue for this one. _

_**Mz. Daydream:** Glad I made ya happy. :P _

_**AALover:** Nope, I'm not that evil. They tell everyone else sometime in seven or eight months between now and the epilogue. :P_

_**Melissa:** Yay, you're not grounded! You'll see tomorrow if it's a boy or a girl, assuming I finish the epilogue in time. _

**Author's Note:** I just couldn't resist writing this...

Chapter 36

Andros found Tawny in her bedroom later that night, attempting to teach her elephant to give rides to a doll twice its size. Stifling a laugh, he moved in front of her, kneeling down to get her attention.

"Hey, Tawny," he said, lifting his daughter up into his arms, smiling as he felt her small arms encircle his neck. "Your mommy and I have a surprise for you."

"Surprise?" Tawny's eyes lit up. "I wanna see!"

Andros chuckled softly and carried her into his and Ashley's room, dumping her carefully down into her mother's lap as Ashley scooted over, making room for the three of them on the bed.

"Where's the surprise?" Tawny asked, glancing around the room in anticipation.

"It's not that kind of a surprise," Andros said, smiling over Tawny's head at Ashley, who was positively glowing with joy. "Ask your mommy."

"Mommy, what the surprise?"

Ashley grinned and reached out to pull Tawny close. "Tawny, you're going to be a big sister."

"Sister?" Tawny's eyes became perfectly round as she contemplated the word. "Mommy, what does that mean?"

"It means," Ashley said softly, kissing the top of her daughter's head, "that I'm having a baby."

"Baby?" Tawny wrinkled her nose in thought for a moment and then nodded. "A baby like my dolly?"

"Not exactly," Andros said, taking over for Ashley as she swallowed down her laughter. "This is a real baby, like you were once."

"A real baby?" Suddenly, Tawny understood and shrieked with laughter. "Can I have one too?"

"Someday," Ashley said. "When you're all grown up."

"When that?"

"Never," she heard Andros mutter, and laughed. He looked at her sheepishly and shrugged.

"In about fifteen years," Ashley said. "That's a long time."

"Have two?" Tawny suggested hopefully. "One for you. One for me."

"I don't think so, angel," Andros said. "There's usually just one."

"Oh," Tawny said, disappointment taking over her small features. "Where baby?"

"It won't be here for a while," Ashley said, unsure of whether to laugh or cry at the sudden sadness on Tawny's usually cheerful face.

"When baby get here?"

"In about eight months," Ashley told her.

Tawny looked completely crestfallen now. "I want baby now!"

"So do we," Ashley assured her. "But the baby is a tiny little thing right now, and it can't come until it's big."

"Baby tiny?"

Ashley nodded. "All babies are at first. You were** very **tiny."

"I big," Tawny insisted. "You say so."

"You are now," Andros told her. "But everyone is tiny when they're born."

"What born mean?"

Andros hesitated, very certain that this was a conversation that he did not want to have. "Umm... ask your mommy."

"All babies live inside their mommies for nine months," Ashley explained. "Their mommies keep them safe until they're big enough to come out."

"The baby inside you?" Ashley nodded and Tawny's eyes went wide. "How?"

"Umm..." Ashley's eyes flickered to Andros, who grinned at her before becoming very interested in his hands. She could see his entire body quivering as he tried not to laugh and suddenly smiled sweetly at Tawny. "Daddy will tell you."

Andros's head shot up and he cast her a half-hearted glare that faded steadily into a half smile as Ashley simply stared innocently back at him. He shot her a look that promised revenge, sighed, and turned his attention to the little girl watching him expectantly. "Your mommy and I made a baby, but the baby needs somewhere to live until it's strong enough to be born, so all babies live inside their mommies."

Tawny nodded. "How do you make a baby?"

Ashley groaned as Andros smirked at her. "Mommy will tell you."

"Umm..." Ashley wracked her brain frantically, searching for an explanation that wouldn't be too much for a three year old to handle, the only one she was able to come up with incredibly cheesy and cliche. "When people love each other, there's something special that they do together that can sometimes make babies."

"Like what?" Tawny looked completely intrigued now, and Ashley groaned again, not knowing how to simplify matters any further, but prefering to keep Tawny sheltered for just a year or two longer.

She glared at Andros's smug face over Tawny's shoulder. She fully accepted that when Tawny as old enough to understand it was her duty as a mother to explain to her daughter about marriage, love, and the functions of certain body parts, but until then...

"Ask Daddy," she smirked.

Tawny obediantly turned to Andros. "Daddy?"

"Babies get made when two people have sex," Andros informed her calmly, his face slowly turning bright red.

"What that?"

"I'll tell you when you're older," Ashley cut in, not giving Andros the satisfaction of diverting the question to her, and hastily changed the subject. "Are you excited about being a big sister?"

Tawny nodded. "Baby be a girl."

"We can't choose that, angel," Andros told her, as willing as Ashley to let their earlier conversation become forgotten. "You might get a brother."

"Brother?" Tawny wrinkled her nose. "Boy?"

"Yeah," Ashley said. "But brothers are good, too. Uncle Jeff is my brother. You like Uncle Jeff, don't you?"

Tawny nodded. "But I want girl."

"We'll see," Ashley said, yawning. "Good night."

"Night, Mommy."

"Come on, angel," Andros said, scooping her up into his arms. "Let's get you into bed."

After he tucked Tawny in, he returned to his room. The instant Ashley saw the look on his face, she groaned, covering her face with her hands as she lay back against the pillows.

"Don't say a **word**," she threatened him. "Or you might not live to see this baby."

"You owe me," he informed her, the severity of his tone lost when he started to laugh softly.

"I know." Ashley laughed sheepishly. "But you started it."

"I started it?" he repeated. "I just didn't know how to explain what being born meant!"

"Ohhh..." Ashley said slowly, breaking down into near hysterical laughter. "Oops... Sorry."

Andros smirked and scooted closer to her, his hands going straight to her sides. Ashley started giggling helplessly, unable to do anything but laugh and squirm around, uselessly trying to escape as Andros tortured her sides.

"Not fair," she gasped. "You know I'm ticklish!"

The smug look on Andros's face only grew, and he slid his hands under her shirt, his hands moving over her bare skin as Ashley's squirming increased.

"Andros! Stop it!" she shrieked, paralyzed with laughter. "You fight dirty!"

He only smirked again and leaned in for a kiss. Ashley wrapped her arms around his neck, still laughing to hard to keep her mouth on his for any length of time longer than a few seconds. Her giggles turned out to be contagious, and a moment later, Andros was laying beside her, laughing as hard as she.

"I... really am... sorry," she gasped out, taking several deep breaths in a row to calm herself. "I didn't know it would make you that uncomfortable... I was just... having fun..."

"Having fun?" he repeated, doing his best to look wounded, failing miserably because Ashley had regained more control than he had.

"Sorry," she repeated, now actually sounding slightly apologetic. "I just felt like being silly..."

Andros laughed again. "I know," he said ruefully. "No one has more right to be happy than you do."

"I **am** happy," she informed him, as if he couldn't have figured it out on his own.

"I know you are," he said with a grin, reaching out to smooth a few stray hairs out of her eyes. With her brown eyes sparkling the way they were, he couldn't doubt the truth of her words. Ashley was happy, truly happy, and there was absolutely nothing he wouldn't do to keep her that way.


	37. Epilogue

**Disclaimer:** Not mine, not mine, did I say not mine?

_**Ashley Hammond/Astro Yellow:** The epilogue of DD is up now. And the prologue to my next story. :P_

_**Melissa:** You figured out where babies come from all by yourself? Lucky... my parents explained it to me when I was too little to know what all the words meant and when I figured it out, it kinda scarred me for life. :P Yup, boys. I've given them too many girls. _

_**Mae:** Thanks. I hope the ending is as good as the rest of it. _

_**Jenny:** Yeah, Andros is very blatant. I think I sent Marieke a pic of me, but it's an awful one... And you cannot let our story die!_

Epilogue

Ashley shifted sleepily, half-dozing as she leaned against Andros. He had one arm wrapped around her waist in a protective embrace. In his other arm, he cradled a newborn baby boy not yet two hours old, still waiting for a name.

"Ash?" he muttered in her ear, careful not to either startle the child in his arms or wake the one fast asleep in the crib only an arm's length away.

"Hmm?" she mumbled lazily, shifting closer to him.

Andros smiled, tempted to just let her drift off, knowing that she'd certainly earned the rest. He didn't say anymore, and thought Ashley had fallen back into sleep, but a moment later, her eyes were open and alert.

"He needs a name," Andros explained quietly, glancing from the son he held in his arms to the one sleeping a few feet away. "They both do."

"Give him to me," Ashley said, reaching to lift the precious little boy out of his arms. Andros carefully let go, making certain that Ashley had a firm grip on the baby before moving his arms away.

Ashley smiled down at her son, rocking him back and forth in her arms. He stared up at her, his brown eyes wide. His small hands clenched every now and then, his fingers curling up into a tiny fist.

"They're so perfect," she marveled, her thumb stroking the perfect little fingers of the baby in her arms. "But... none of the names we chose seem to fit, do they?"

Andros shook his head, wondering just what Ashley had been thinking in suggesting the name 'Bert' and what he had been thinking in considering it. There had been dozens of other names, but not one seemed right for their children.

The baby that had been sleeping contentedly just a moment before squalled loudly. Ashley jumped as the sudden wail cut through the air, sighing quietly as she handed the peaceful baby to Andros, motioning for him to hand her the fussing one.

"What's wrong?" she murmured, rocking him back and forth, his cries growing louder as opposed to softer. "Shh... Mommy's here... Shh..."

The little boy refused to quiet, wailing continuously, his small, chubby arms flailing in the air. Ashley sighed, groaning as his cries set off his brother. Andros mimicked her motions, rocking the baby in his arms back and forth, an expression of enormous relief spreading across his face as it appeared to have some effect.

"He's hungry," Ashley realized suddenly, her mind drifting back nearly four years to when Tawny had been an infant. "I think they both are."

Andros shifted, reaching across her for the bottle they'd prepared for just such an occasion. He settled back against the fluffy pillows of Ashley's hospital bed, coaxing the baby in his arms to drink with some difficulty, not missing the fact that she'd had a much easier time convincing the other baby to nurse.

Ashley laughed quietly at the expression on his face. "You're doing fine," she assured him quietly. "He just doesn't like the bottle, that's all."

"Trade?" he asked hopefully as the baby in his arms squirmed. "Or is he all right?"

"He's doing all right now," Ashley said, gesturing at the baby, who had finally latched onto the bottle. "But I'll trade you in a minute."

"Why is yours being good?" Andros complained good-naturedly, groaning as the baby twisted his head away from the bottle.

Ashley laughed quietly, cradling the baby with one arm to brush her fingers across her other son's head for a moment. "He is being good," she said with a grin. "This is how babies talk."

Andros grinned back. "Then I think he's trying to tell us that he wants to nurse from his mommy."

"I think so too." Ashley shifted the baby in her arms down into her lap, lifting the other baby out of Andros's arms and into her own. To Andros's relief, his other son had no objections to being bottle fed and he relaxed, leaning back against the pillows again as Ashley pillowed her head on his shoulder.

"Does that hurt?" Andros asked suddenly, somewhat shyly.

Ashley glanced at him in surprise. "Nursing the baby, you mean?"

He nodded, blushing. Ashley smiled, nuzzling her face into his shoulder, her eyes drooping shut.

"The only part of having a baby that hurts is actually having a baby," she told him, grinning inwardly as she heard him chuckle softly. "But breast-feeding doesn't hurt... well, it's not supposed to, anyway."

Andros grinned, twisting to kiss the top of her head. "Tawny had sharp teeth, you mean?"

"Yeah," Ashley said, wincing slightly. "But no, this doesn't hurt. It's supposed to be good for the baby."

"So... we just don't like this one?" Andros asked innocently, gesturing down to the baby in his arms. Ashley laughed, swatting at his arm.

"Silly," she said. "We like him better for being the good one and taking a turn drinking from the bottle."

"We really should name him," Andros reminded her.

"Baby One and Baby Two?" Ashley suggested, managing to keep her face straight only for an instant.

"Umm... what about Adrian?" she asked once she calmed down.

"For which one?"

"That one," Ashley said, nodding towards the baby still suckling the bottle contentedly. "This one doesn't look like an Adrian."

Andros laughed, although he had to admit that he agreed. "So... what does he look like?"

"You choose," Ashley told him, lightly caressing her son's cheeks. "He's so cute!"

Andros nodded his agreement, a moment later suggesting hesitantly, "Aeron?"

"Aeron," Ashley repeated, smiling. "Aeron and Adrian."

"Like it?" he asked tentatively, rewarded with her bright smile.

"I love it," she said, tucking her head under his shoulder yet again as she began to rock Aeron to sleep. "I love you."

"I love you too," he whispered in her ear, sighing quietly as there was a knock at the door. "Come in."

"Hey," Cassie said, poking her head into the room. "Oh, they're adorable."

Ashley grinned tiredly. "Aren't they?"

"I'll come back later, Ash," she assured her. "You look exhausted... but if you've got the energy, someone wants to see you."

"Mommy!" Tawny darted around Cassie's legs, scrambling up onto the bed. Andros laughed quietly, careful not to wake Aeron or startle Adrian. He offered her a hand up, pulling his daughter up to sit on his legs.

"Hey, Tawny," Ashley whispered.

"I'll leave you alone now," Cassie said softly, backing away. "Congratulations, you guys."

"Thanks," Ashley said as Cassie left the room.

"Are these my brothers?" Tawny demanded, poking curiously at Adrian.

"Don't do that," Ashley said quickly. "And yes, they are."

"They have names?"

"This one is Adrian," Andros said softly, gesturing to the boy in his arms. "And the one your mommy is holding is Aeron."

Tawny made a face. "He's stinky."

Ashley laughed. "His diaper's not even dirty yet."

"He's still stinky."

Andros rolled his eyes, taking Aeron from Ashley and settling him in his crib. Tawny crawled into Ashley's lap, curling up against her mother's body. Andros smiled as he watched Ashley stroke her hair, rocking her back and forth as if she was still a baby herself. He caught Ashley's eye and she smiled happily at him, her eyes sparkling with a light he was going to make certain never left her.

_fin_

**Author's Note:** Well, I think this is the first time the story didn't become a long, pointless ramble. That's definitely progress... I hope you had as much fun reading this story as I did writing it. (Thanks again to AH/AY for the plot.) There will eventually be a sequel, but not for awhile, probably April or May. I put up the prologue to my next story, if you're interested in seeing what else my twisted mind can come up with. That's about it... please review!


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